


The Norseman's Women

by Vayria (Valyria)



Category: Southern Vampire Mysteries - Charlaine Harris, True Blood
Genre: Actually BAMF Everyone really, Angst with a Happy Ending, BAMF Eric, Bill Bashing, Blood Bond, Blood and Gore, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Kidnapping, Not Beta Read, POV First Person, Temporary Character Death, Torture, Vampire Sookie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-11
Updated: 2012-12-11
Packaged: 2017-11-20 21:45:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 42,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/589981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Valyria/pseuds/Vayria
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Following the events of the Season 5 finale, Pam turns Sookie. </p><p>An Eric/Sookie AU of season 6 with side Pam/Tara. No Nora or Willa. Angst with smut and a fluffy ending. Implausibly BAMF!Eric/everyone. Revised 08/2013.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first thing I've ever written in first person. Don't try and take it too seriously, I wrote this purely for my own amusement after the season finale. It uses some of the book background info, but it's set in the TV series universe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Old Norse:
> 
> Sváss = beloved

  
*

I was beside myself. I’d just watched Bill disintegrate into a pool of blood then reform with some _thing_ else looking out from behind his eyes. Not the complicated, conflicted, but ultimately _decent_ man I knew Bill Compton to be - something dark and twisted. Something old and evil.

Eric was afraid. Honest to god afraid. His eyes were wide and he was taking deep unnecessary breaths. And I could feel it. Ever since he’d been cursed, since we’d shared blood - ‘been one’ as he’d put it, I’d been able to sense his moods. I think he was taking as much comfort from my proximity as I was from his. His fear scared me more than anything - Eric wasn’t supposed to be afraid of anything. It let me know the true seriousness of our situation

‘Run!’ he yelled at me.

I was already sprinting down the hall, but clearly not fast enough for him. He grabbed me and bolted at vamp speed away from the room. I could hear Bill screeching. He didn’t appear to be in a hurry to catch up to us, but it was pretty clear he was going to give chase. Eric put me down on my feet. We were in the blood stained foyer of the Authority. I pressed the button for the lift frantically. It beeped at me angrily. Nothing happened. It was locked or something.

Eric pushed past me and shoved his fingers in between the closed doors, forcing them open. He shot me a look as he stood there holding them open, one blonde eyebrow rising. I didn’t need further encouragement, I ducked under his arms and into the lift. There was screaming from somewhere and a horrible screeching. Bill had obviously found someone to play with. Eric stepped in beside me and let the doors close once more as he pressed the ground level button. It felt like hours before the lift moved. I let out an irrational sigh of relief and pressed myself against Eric’s big, strong, comforting form. He wrapped his arms around me as we rose up towards the surface. The fear I’d felt from him earlier had faded. Now I just felt shock.

A new alarm started blaring. The lift jerked to a halt, then dropped with a sickening lurch. I felt weightless as the lift fell around me, my feet lifting off the floor.

I screamed and tried to grab onto Eric, but he shot away from me and over to the controls. I kept screaming while he ripped off a small panel set into the side of the lift and tugged at a red lever. The lift came to a sudden grinding halt.

I ended up on my ass.

The whole ordeal had lasted only a few seconds, though it had felt like _much_ longer. I looked up and met Eric’s eyes in silent query. What next? I opened my mouth to ask the same but he raised a hand to indicate silence. There was a noise from what felt like just beneath my feet. Metal being torn apart. The lift moved slightly. Something was under the lift. I could feel the movement through the floor.

‘Bill?’ I asked Eric as I got to my feet and sorta cowered near him.

He nodded but didn’t bother replying. Once more he forced the doors open. We were between floors. Cement greeted us. I felt my heart drop. We were trapped. Eric didn’t seem concerned however. He stepped back, jumped and swung himself off the light fitting in the ceiling. His boots dislodged a sizeable chunk of cement and set the entire lift rocking. He dropped to the floor again and began kicking at the cracked concrete. In a few seconds he’d made a decent hole save for the rods of steel reinforcing that were sandwiched inside the wall. He ripped at them with his hands, effortlessly bending them to clear the hole. The cement powdered like plaster in his fingers.

The lift juddered and shook. I could feel rough movement beneath us and hear disturbing noises. Bill had almost torn through. Eric grabbed me and shoved me towards the hole. I gripped the edges of the hole in preparation to haul myself through. I’d only just be able to fit my shoulders through.

‘Go. Take the stairs, run.’ Eric’s voice was eerily calm.

I paused, shoving back against his pushing hands. ‘Wait, you aren’t coming?’ I had to crane my neck over my shoulder awkwardly to meet his gaze. He didn’t respond. The lift swung violently to one side, hitting with jarring strength against the wall. I almost fell. Eric’s hands pushed at me. ‘Go Sookie!’

‘You can’t stay and fight him! We don’t know what that blood did to him but he’s clearly mental and super strong!’

For a second Eric’s hands relented against me and I almost stumbled at the sudden lack of pressure. He stared at me for maybe two heartbeats. His eyes weren’t wide with fear anymore. He didn’t feel shocked or scared. I was suddenly much more afraid than I’d been a few minutes before. He curled a big cold hand around my face, his eyes skipping over my face as if he was memorising me. My heart clenched almost painfully in my chest. I knew what he was feeling. I shook my head, my voice pleading. ‘No _. Eric_.’

His thumb rubbed across my cheek and I felt moisture as it spread a tear across my skin.

‘Sookie.’ His voice said a lot more than just my name. I could _feel_ what he didn’t say. I twisted a hand in his shirt and pulled myself towards him. I tried to voice what it was I was feeling, but I couldn’t. Eric abruptly pulled me against him, wrapping an arm around me and burying his face against my neck. I was feeling all sorts of things. I wasn’t sure if they were my own emotions or his. I felt him inhaling deeply against my skin, then his breath against my ear as he spoke. ‘ _Sváss_ …’

I didn’t understand. It was Swedish I guessed.

He spoke again, real softly, and in English this time, ‘Sookie. _My Sookie_.’ For once his high-handedness didn’t make me angry.

And then he shoved me through the hole in the wall while I was too shocked to fight back.

I yelled out indignantly as I scrambled to my feet, dusty and a bit bruised from his rough handling. He was staring at me through the hole, his eyes boring into mine. ‘Eric!’

He didn’t respond, just gave me that cocky smirk of his and winked at me. His hand jerked on the emergency brake lever and then the lift fell with a deafening screeching noise and he was gone. I stared at the black hole in the wall dumbly for a few moments. There was a deep booming crash as the lift hit bottom. I could tell Eric wasn’t dead, but there wasn’t anything else to do, so I turned and looked for the stairwell.

I ran up five flights of stairs as fast as I could. I grabbed at the door only to find it locked. I banged on it and called out. There was a crunch and then the door was ripped off its hinges. Pam stood in the doorway. She looked behind me. ‘Where’s Eric?’

‘Bill! He drank the blood! He’s crazy! Eric’s gone to fight him.’ I had to bend over and pause, I was pretty badly winded. ‘We have to go back!’

‘Bill’s fighting Eric?’ Jessica asked in confusion.

Pam frowned. ‘Compton is no threat to Eric. It’s nearly dawn.’  She looked to Tara. ‘We will go to ground.’

‘But he’s not Bill anymore! He turned into a pile of goo then like, reformed into a crazy Lillith-Bill!’ Pam raised an eyebrow sceptically at my outburst. ‘Eric was _scared_ Pam!’

‘My maker fears nothing.’ she proclaimed icily as if I’d just insulted him.

Jason appeared from around a corner, scanning and covering the area with two drawn pistols. He looked relieved to see me. ‘Sook! Let’s roll!’

‘But Eric’s down still down there!’

Jason frowned. ‘That vamper can look after hisself Sook.’

‘Indeed.’ Pam agreed. ‘He is not calling me. He does not require our aid.’ She shot forward and grabbed me around the bicep. ‘He will be displeased if you march back down there and get in the way.’

‘Hey!’ I struggled but I was no match for Pam. I looked at Jessica for help, but she looked scared and seemed as eager as my brother to leave.

She ignored me and looked to Jason. ‘You have a car Stackhouse?’

My brother nodded.

I couldn’t feel anything from Eric at all. Nothing.

*

I passed out a few hours after Jason dropped me off home. The TV stations were full of reports of vampire attacks on humans and human attacks on vampires. Louisiana was a war zone. Eventually I muted the screen and just lay blankly watching. I wondered if Pam and Tara were safe at Fangtasia. If Jessica was safe. If Eric had made it to ground safely. I was exhausted and basically worried myself to sleep.

I awoke mid-morning screaming. I’d never felt such agony. I was burning alive. My hands tore at my clothes, expecting to find them aflame, but my skin was smooth and unblemished. I thought maybe I’d been hit with some sort of gas or something chemical that might have burnt me, but it was pretty clear that my skin was fine. The pain faded a little. I could think a bit clearer.

I lay there trying to sort out my addled wits for a few minutes. It took a while but eventually I realised that it was Eric that was burning. As I’d felt his feelings, now I was feeling his pain. He was in the sun somewhere. Guilt tore at me. I tried to get up, to get to my car… do something… help. But I couldn’t. I fell. It took me half an hour to make it upstairs to where I’d left my car keys in my bedroom. I kept fainting, falling over. I couldn’t focus, my hands knocked my makeup and jewellery boxes off my dresser as I tried to pick my keys up. I tripped. Woke up in the middle of the floor hours later my thoughts foggy and strange. Pain. So much pain. I cried.

It went on for three days and two nights.

I’d ended up in the bathtub at some point that first day. Like a dying animal drags itself off to into a dark corner to die, I’d turned to the cool water of my tub for comfort. I couldn’t eat or drink, I vomited anything I swallowed. I felt like I’d been poisoned or drugged, my body quaking with fever, my every movement slow and weak. There was a terrible burning all over my skin and then sporadic bursts of much greater pain, like my flesh was being pulled off my bones. I felt like I was going crazy. Finally and for real this time.

I sobbed and cried and lost all sense of time and reality. One moment I was looking out the bathroom window at a blue sky, the next darkness and stars. I lost hours. Worse than the pain was the helplessness. There was nothing I could do to help him. Eric was being tortured and not only was I was utterly powerless, I was weakened to such an extent that I couldn’t even look after myself.

At first I’d tried to shield myself from the pain like I shield myself from people’s minds. I’d blocked that little bit of my mind that was Eric shaped and tried to think of a plan to help him. But I could feel him reaching, almost like he was calling to me and it hurt too much to deny him, for me to keep blocking him. Instead I’d reached back to him, embraced him, tried to offer what comfort I could. He was in such terrible pain, but he was thinking of me. What I felt from him was humbling. The last words he’d spoken to me rattled around in my brain torturing me. ‘Sookie. _My Sookie.’_

Eric Northman loved me. I was certain of it.

It was almost worse than the pain, knowing that all this time he really _had_ loved me and I’d stubbornly pushed him away for fear of my tender heart. I tried to let him feel it now though. My love for him. I felt the comfort it gave him. I shared his pain and he seemed at peace. Hours turned into days. I didn’t sleep, I drifted with Eric in a haze of agony, like a terrible shared fever, a nightmare.

It wasn’t until I awoke on what must have been Tuesday afternoon, the sun just setting, that I realised what had happened. My head throbbed, my stomach felt like a tight shrunken a ball and my limbs ached, but the deeper pain had ceased. For a moment I felt relief and then I reached for Eric within my mind.

Nothing.

I reached again.

Cold. Empty.

_‘Sookie. My Sookie.’_

I couldn’t breathe.

Eric was gone. I felt a void, a shape that should have been filled with Eric and was now a vacuum pulling at me.

He was dead. I’d fallen asleep and he’d died alone. For me. He’d stayed to face Bill, or the monster that wore Bill’s face, for me and he’d died alone and in agony because of it.

I didn’t have any tears left. I screamed instead. I was so angry, my head was black with it. I was angry at myself, at Bill, at Eric and everything. My hands glowed white hot. I threw my light at the wall, scorching the wallpaper and setting a towel to smouldering. I cried. I yelled and swore. I laughed. I was pretty much hysterical. I splashed around fully dressed in a bathtub of cold water ranting and raving.

It was full dark before my mind had settled. I felt as if I should die, as if I’d just lie there in my tub, close my eyes and die like something in a story, but I did not. Life wasn’t a story. No matter my grief, my resilient human mind was trying to sort and regroup, make plans. It’s human nature.

I thought about running. Living alone somewhere where no one knew me. I thought about opening my wrists and never leaving my bathtub. I thought about hiding out with someone. Alcide might hide me. Jason would take me in. Sam?

But Bill had taken my blood. A heap of it. Even now he probably knew exactly where I was. He’d come for me and drain me or torture me or turn me. Probably all three and more. Anyone who was with me would be killed or suffer the same. Eric had been the only thing standing between me and every other vampire in Louisiana really, and now he was dead. If Bill didn’t want me, someone else would come after me for my blood. I had no protection.

I was already dead, it was just a matter of time.

I thought seriously about taking my razor to my wrists. I didn’t want to die, but I couldn’t bear the thought of being at the mercy of Bill or bringing more death and pain to my remaining friends and family. At least if I took matters into my own hands he wouldn’t get the chance to turn me. I was certain he would try. I couldn’t be glamoured, but as my maker he’d be able to compel me to do anything he wanted. I remembered Tara. She’d been dead, her brain spread across my kitchen floor, but Pam had still managed to turn her. If I killed myself Bill would feel me die. He’d know and there was a good chance he’d be able to stop me or turn me after the fact. Even suicide didn’t guarantee me my freedom.

That was when I made a decision. It wasn’t a good one, it wasn’t something I’d ever have considered under different circumstances, but it was the surest bet to save myself from Bill Compton.

I pulled myself out of the tub and had a scalding hot shower. I was weak and achy from three days of not really eating or drinking. I took a handful of advil and stumbled downstairs. I forced myself to drink can of soda for the sugar buzz and a fruit bar out of the cupboard. I felt a little more steady on my feet. I drove into Shreveport. There were lots of cars on the road.

It was 2am when I stopped in front of Fangtasia. There was no line up, no crowd. The doors were locked. I banged on them a few times before heading around the back. I actually had to break a window to get in.

Inside the lights and air conditioning were on. I couldn’t feel any human minds, just two vamps upstairs.

Tara appeared in front of me before I’d taken two steps. She bared her fangs at me and hissed. ‘Get outta here!’

She didn’t scare me. I couldn’t care less. ‘Eric’s dead Tara.’ Saying it out loud made me start crying again.

She pouted. ‘I know.’ She froze and her head tilted to one side as if she was listening to something. Then her hand was clamped around my bicep and she carried me at vamp speed upstairs to Eric’s office.

Pam was a mess.

Her hair wasn’t curled and she wore no makeup. There were bloody tissues in a mound around her and fresh red smears on her cheeks.

‘Sookie.’ She glared at me. It wasn’t the first time she’d looked at me like that, but it was by far the coldest, angriest glare I’d ever gotten from her. ‘Fucking _Sookie_! This is _your_ fault! Eric would never have gotten messed up in this _… fucking shit_ if not for you!’

She was right there. I’d tried to get her to go help Eric, but it was my fault he’d been down there in the first place. I felt utterly worthless. I sobbed. ‘I know Pam.’

She sniffed and dabbed at her cheeks, obviously trying to compose herself. When she spoke again her voice was as icy and cold as ever. ‘Why are you here?’ I got the sense the only reason she hadn’t killed me was out of respect for Eric. Poor dead Eric.

There was no reason to dither about, so I got right to the point. ‘I want you to turn me.’

Tara’s hand clenched tightly around my arm. She was most definitely gonna leave a bruise.

Pam shot across the room and was in my face, fangs out, in a split second.

‘How _dare_ you!’ I’d never seen her so angry. ‘My master would have given you _anything,_ e _verything_ and only now that he has met the true death you ask for this?’

Tara was growling softly in my ear.

‘The only reason I don’t kill you myself is because _he_ would not want me to.’

I understood her anger, I didn’t feel any indignation in return. ‘I’ve thought about it Pam.’ I took a deep breath. ‘I don’t want to be a vampire. I’ve never wanted it, and I think it’s only thanks to Eric that no one ever drained me or turned me. He made vampires around here leave me alone. But Eric’s dead. And Bill’s had my blood. He’ll come for me. And he’ll drain me and torture me and turn me and then I’ll be _his_ for ever and I can’t _bear_ the thought of that!’

I was sobbing again, Tara was more or less holding me up. ‘The only way I can protect myself from that is to give myself to another vampire. You’re the only one I trust Pam.’

Pam was utterly still. ‘If you are so scared of Bill turning you, kill yourself. I don’t want to be shackled with a sobbing faerie wreck for all eternity.’

‘If you won’t help me then I will!’ I was getting angry now. ‘The only reason haven’t is cause he would know, he could still maybe turn me like you did Tara and I don’t wanna give Bill the satisfaction!’ I was getting out of breath. I felt weak and dizzy again. ‘I _felt_ it. What Bill did to Eric. _Burning._  And _pain…_ and it went on and on and on... I’m almost glad he’s dead cause he was in such agony!’ I had to stop talking cause I was crying again.

‘You _felt_ it?’ Pam leant closer and inhaled my scent along my neck. ‘Yes. I smell his blood in you.’ She narrowed her eyes. ‘You had a blood bond with my maker?’

I nodded weakly. ‘When he was cursed.’ I needed to sit down.

Pam considered this. ‘So you felt my master’s pain.’

‘Yes. I tried to… comfort him. He could sense me or something. I’m not sure how the bond worked.’

Pam seemed to soften slightly at this. ‘He could feel you? You are certain?’

I nodded.

Two fresh red tear tracks made their way down the bloody mess of Pam’s face. She was silent for a long time. Tara’s grip on my arm didn’t loosen any. Eventually she crossed her arms and stared me down.

‘Very well.’ Her voice had returned to its usual icy bitchy tone. ‘If it is your wish to be turned, in honour of my maker’s … _fondness_ for you, I will turn you.’

I exhaled in relief.

She held up a hand in warning. ‘But! I doubt this will stop Bill seeking you out.’ She paused. ‘And you will be more robust for whatever games he might have in mind for you.’

‘I know. He’ll find me eventually, unless someone kills him, but he won’t get to drain me. He won’t get to turn me and control me as my maker.’

Pam’s head tilted. ‘So you expect pain and death regardless and are just doing this to spite him?’

I shrugged. ‘Yeah pretty much.’

She smiled a toothy smile, almost her old self again. ‘Well _good._ ’

Suddenly she was all business. ‘When you die Bill’s blood tie to you will be broken. When you awaken vampire he will have to look for you the old fashioned way. However he will feel your death. He could well try and spoil our fun.’ She graciously indicated I should sit. Tara pushed me in the direction of the couch. She didn’t seem real pleased. ‘He probably knows you are here. He will assume you have come to me for protection.’

She was right of course. For all I knew Bill was on his way here right now.

‘Tara. Finish our preparations as discussed. Inform me when we are ready to depart.’

‘Yes Ma’am.’ In a flash Tara was gone.

Pam sat beside me, fangs out. I took a depth breath and pulled my hair back from my neck. In a flash she was wrapped around me, inhaling my scent. It was weird to be in such a position with _Pam_ , but I forced myself to relax. She licked my neck, which was _really_ weird, and then she bit. There was a little pain, but she knew what she was doing. I closed my eyes and tried to imagine in was Eric taking my blood. It was pretty hard to maintain the illusion though since I could smell Pam’s perfume, hear her little breathy moans and feel her decidedly un-Eric and very female figure pushed against me.

After a few minutes she pulled back. ‘Why Sookie. I didn’t think it possible, but you are even more _delicious_ than I thought you’d be without maened poison in you.’

I could tell she was teasing me, but I wondered why she’d stopped. It had taken much longer for Bill to _nearly_ drain me in Dallas, and we weren’t aiming for _nearly_ this time. Pam seemed to sense my confusion. ‘If I take any more Bill will feel your weakness and he’ll know what’s happening. We don’t want to attract his attention right now. With the amount I have taken I’ll be able to finish the job very quickly later on.’ She smirked. ‘You may rest assured that you’ll be dead before dawn.’

Maybe ten minutes later we were in a Mercedes sedan with a few suitcases full of money and other stuff Pam didn’t want to leave at Fangtasia for Bill or whoever to find. I was real tired. Dizzy. Like I had crazy low blood sugar. Blood loss and lack of food I guess. Pam sat in the back with me as Tara drove us towards New Orleans. We’d been driving maybe half an hour when Pam sidled up to me and bared my neck again. She was much rougher this time. I could tell she was draining me as fast as she could.

It was a weird feeling, dying.

I met Tara’s eyes in the rearview for a moment and for the first time since she woke up in the dirt in my yard she was looking at me like my oldest friend, like she used to look at me. My vision started to get sorta spotty and I couldn’t sit up straight anymore. I felt cold and sick.

All of a sudden I felt Bill. We didn’t have a bond like I’d had with Eric, so I couldn’t feel his emotions, but I could take a stab at them. They weren’t happy.

‘Bill knows.’ I said. My voice sounded weird, like I was listening from a long way away.

Pam’s teeth sank deeper and I winced. Then she pulled back and her wrist was in my mouth, her blood cool on my lips. I was on the verge of unconsciousness but took a few swallows. The taste of it made me cry. She went back to my neck, finishing me off. My eyes were closed as I laboriously swallowed a mouthful of Pam’s blood. My brain felt all fuzzy and my body was all tingly in a really unsettling unpleasant way. I opened my mouth and mumbled my last words.

‘Pam. You taste… like… Eric.’

 


	2. Chapter 2

*

I awoke vampire.

Pam was beside me. I recognised her smell before I opened my eyes. Perfume, shampoo, moisturiser, makeup and the detergent she washed her clothes in all mixed up into one flowery ‘Pam’ scent. It was almost overwhelming. I could also smell dirt, leaves, blood and myself. I didn’t smell nearly so flowery as Pam.

I needed a shower.

I felt her blood within me and it was almost like having Eric’s blood in me. There was a bond between us. It was similar to that which I’d shared with Eric, except… it felt like it had always been a part of me. I prodded at it and felt a strange surge of emotions, a deep connection in place of the respect and awkward friendship I’d held for Pam when I was breathing.

I opened my eyes and looked at my maker. She was beautiful. Perfect. I wanted to please her. I loved her with the deep absolute love of a child. I hadn’t felt that sort of unconditional love for anyone since I’d _been_ a child. I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her in joy. ‘Pam!’

I could feel her bemusement at my reaction though our bond. Her emotions were plain to me.

‘Sookie. Vampires don’t hug.’ I could tell she wasn’t really upset. She was relieved I’d risen. She was still new to being a maker and not entirely confident.

_‘She seems alright. Her faerie blood didn’t fuck anything up…’_

I realised that I was reading her thoughts. My eyes widened in surprise and I backed off and found myself standing in front of Tara within a second. She was holding a bag of blood. All thoughts of telepathy and Pam vanished. It smelled _amazing_. I hadn’t smelt anything so mouth-watering since my gran died and took her cooking to heaven with her.

She raised an eyebrow. ‘You’re lucky I ain’t making you drink that Trueblood shit like you did me Sookie.’ Wordless she passed me the clear plastic bag. My fangs were already out. I’d drained it before I even realised what was happening. I looked down at my bloody hands in surprise. She passed me another. It was gone pretty much instantly as well. After I’d drunk four bags of blood Pam led us towards a different car. It was identical to the first save the colour. This one was black instead of silver. I wondered how many Mercedes Pam owned.

I had no idea where we were. It certainly wasn’t New Orleans. We drove for maybe ten minutes before we came to a big house on acreage. Inside it was very Pam, namely expensive and chic. There was lots of white and glass. It didn’t seem like a vampire’s house at all. I looked around curiously. It was amazing how different everything seemed. Everything was… more. Louder, brighter, stronger. That first night I was so distracted by my new body and my new senses that I forgot about my sadness. Pam seemed likewise preoccupied and neither of us mentioned Eric.

She was conflicted over the fact that my gift seemed to extend to vampire minds now, on the one hand she was thrilled since having a telepathic child would be immensely useful, on the other she was pissed that I could snoop on her thoughts. Personally I didn’t care much either way. Tara’s thoughts weren’t all that different to how they’d been when she was human, and Pam’s were just as I expected. Maybe it was because I was a vampire myself, but their minds didn’t seem as creepy as the previous flashes of vamp minds I’d gotten had been. They were still cold and _snakey_ , but it didn’t freak me out in the same way anymore. Probably cause I was cold and snakey too.

My hunger was a constant nagging irritation, but it wasn’t as bad as I had been expecting. Pam told me as long as I didn’t starve myself I didn’t really need to worry about attacking people, but that if I tried to feed without someone there to hold me back, I’d probably be unable to stop. Vampires had to practice to not drain people dry. I wasn’t really interesting in biting anyone anyhow. I had no long term goals. I figured I’d stay with Pam and Tara until the thing that was wearing Bill’s face eventually found me, and then I’d spit in his face and probably die for real pretty soon afterwards. At least if I died vampire Eric and I would end up in the same place.

Tara seemed to have forgiven me, or at least put her anger on hold. We raced and arm wrestled and tried to see who was faster and stronger. Tara seemed to be way ahead in both departments. She’d already been strong as a human - what with her fondness for kick boxing and all – and it seemed that skill had only gotten more pronounced as a vampire. I was so much weaker than her it was laughable. Well, she laughed anyway. Our easy friendship reminded me of slumber parties we used to have as kids. We ran around the woods near the house laughing and playing, carefree like children. Pam found us amusing but did not join in.

I was actually pretty happy when I lay in my coffin in the cellar to die for the day.

*

I came to awareness instantly and ravenously. Tara seemed to be in a similar condition. We were both pretty wild until we’d gotten had our breakfast so to speak. Tara bemoaned the lack of live donors. I sure didn’t.

Pam drank a single bag of blood. To my half a dozen. Apparently I was a bit of a glutton. Tara only drank four. I felt a little bit embarrassed. I’d never been a big eater when I’d been alive, but apparently I was greedy in my unlife. Pam teased me and her tone of voice suddenly and vividly reminded me of Eric when he was in one of his playful moods. My sadness at his death hit me like a freight train. One moment I’d been laughing with Tara, the next I was crying. And crying as a vampire was pretty gross.

Pam sighed. ‘I told you I _didn’t_ want to be shackled to a weepy faerie Sookie. Stop this at once.’ Her voice betrayed nothing but mild irritation, but I could tell that she was worried my crying would set her off. She was just as cut up over Eric as I was. He’d been her family. A combination of a father, a brother and lover to her. She’d been with him for a century.

I tried to calm myself but I couldn’t. She pouted. ‘As your maker I command you to stop your crying.’

Just like that I wasn’t crying anymore. It was bizarre. I didn’t feel like I’d been compelled or manipulated, but I’d definitely stopped crying.

‘Sorry Pam. It’s just you reminded me of Eric.’ I explained.

Pam tensed up as I said his name but made no comment. I took a chance. ‘Will you tell me about him?’

She gave me a disapproving look. ‘You don’t have to tell me anything personal. Just… normal stuff.’

She arched an eyebrow. ‘Normal stuff?’

I titled my head. ‘You know, like…’ I thought back to some of the random things I’d idly wondered about Eric but never thought to ask him. ‘What was he called when he was alive? And where exactly was he born?’

I could tell Pam didn’t really want to talk about him, the pain of his death too fresh in her mind, but chances were I wouldn’t get much time with her and Tara before Bill found us. So I pushed.

She sighed dramatically. ‘Fine. I will tell you about Eric. But if you start _crying_ I will make you drink nothing but Trueblood for a week.’

Tara shot me a look from the opposite couch where she as flipping through one of Pam’s magazines. Seeing Tara Thornton reading _Vogue_ was pretty weird in of itself. ‘Ouch. You better watch it sook. That shit is terrible.’

Pam was silent for a few moments before she spoke in her usual bored drawl. ‘Eric was born in Sweden.  A place called Uppland. It’s just north of where Stockholm is today. He thinks… thought… he was born in 945. His father was a Jarl. He was called Erik Ulfriksson when he was young, and later Erik Segersäll, or in Old Norse, which was what they spoke in Sweden at the time, Eiríkr inn Sigrsæli.’ Pam’s words twisted oddly on the Swedish and Norse names, her whole voice changing.

I repeated the name back. ‘Eriker in sig-ra-sayli?’

Pam winced. ‘Your pronunciation is fucking terrible Sookie.’

I ignored her. ‘What’s it mean? I mean, I guess Ulfriksson means that was his daddy’s name but what’s… siger-sally?’

Pam’s face twisted up in distaste. ‘Ugh. If you stop trying to say it I’ll tell you.’

Tara snorted.

I smirked. ‘Deal.’

‘Eiríkr inn sigrsæli translates more or less to ‘Eric the Victorious.’’

‘Huh. Well that explains why the man was so damn arrogant. A thousand years of being called ‘Sookie the Victorious’ would do the same to me.’ I remarked.

 ‘Eric was _arrogant_ because he had cause to be. And to the best of my knowledge, whilst there were _rumours_ about Eric, with Godric dead no one save myself was aware of Eric’s human name. He certainly never went by it as a vampire.’ I could tell Pam was holding something back, waiting for me to ask her something.

‘So why’d they call him ‘the victorious’? He win a bunch of battles?’ That was easy enough to imagine. Eric as a viking warrior.

‘That is precisely the reason.’

Tara belatedly gave our conversation her full attention. ‘Ooo was he famous?’ She frowned. ‘ _Are_ there famous Vikings?’

Pam shot Tara a quelling look.

‘Most vamps are real proud of themselves and their names. The only reason he wouldn’t use his real name would be cause he was too old to have one, or he didn’t want to be recognised. Or at least that’s always why I figured he called himself ‘Northman’.’ I said.

Pam nodded then casually dropped her bombshell. ‘He was a King.’

My eyes just about bugged outta my head.

Tara gasped. ‘He was a king? For reals? No wonder he was so up-...’ she cut of abruptly at the warning hiss from Pam. ‘…pitty?’

I wasn’t sure what to think about Pam’s little revelation. I was actually really surprised. I didn’t think Eric would have been able to keep the fact that he was _king_ to himself. He’d liked to blow his own horn. A lot.

‘Wait… Eric told me his father was like, a chieftain and that Russell Edgington’s werewolves killed his family?’ I was confused.

‘Ulfrik was a _Jarl._ And they did. Russel’s dogs were working their way through Sweden at the time. Eric united the other Jarls in his attempts to get vengeance. That’s how he ended up king. He even briefly ruled Denmark. Eventually he followed them to Britain. He was injured in battle, a mortal wound, but he’d impressed Godric so much that he turned him.’

Tara seemed almost interested. ‘Huh. So Eric was a king. Was Godric a prince or something?’

Pam snorted. ‘God no. Godric was a Gaulish slave boy in Rome. Appius took a shine to him and turned him. Of course that came back to bite him on the ass. Literally.’

‘What do you mean?’ I asked.

‘Godric killed his maker. It was a major scandal at the time. Godric was in hiding from our kind for _centuries_ because of it. No one knows how he managed it exactly. Appius was at least 1000 years old when he turned Godric, and probably much older. He never released Godric but Godric still managed to outwit him. Even Eric wasn’t sure how exactly he did it.’ Pam seemed much more relaxed talking about Godric then Eric. I decided to stick to him as a topic for a while.

‘You know, when Godric met the sun, it was different to all the other times I’ve seen vamps burn.’ I remarked.

‘He was so old, he wouldn’t have burnt like any of the vampires you’ve seen Sookie.’ Pam responded.

‘What about Russell Edgington? He was even older than Godric wasn’t he?’

Pam tilted her head. ‘That’s true I suppose. But Russell had drunk a lot of your precious faerie blood if you recall Sookie.’

I shook my head. ‘Oh I recall all right. But it was really different. Godric burnt blue. He didn’t char or turn black.’ I thought back on the morning scene I’d witnessed over a year previously. ‘It was _clean._ Like he burned into light. There was nothing left behind, no ash no nothing.’ I felt emotional remembering that morning. Godric had been unlike any vampire I’d ever know. Such an odd mix of strength and kindness. I wished I’d know him better.

Tara sorta ruined the spiritual moment I was having by asking: ‘What the fuck is a Gaul?’

‘France Tara. Gaul is now called France.’ Pam was looking at Tara like she was had just asked something real stupid.

Tara held up her hands defensively. ‘How the fuck was I supposed to know that?’ Her eyes widened at Pam’s expression and she hastily added ‘Ma’am!’

We were silent for a while. I was lost in my memories. I think I was in downtime. When Pam spoke again I sensed I’d been sitting completely motionlessly for quite a while.

‘All this talk of Eric and Godric has gotten me thinking.’ Tara and I obligingly gave our maker our full attention. Pam continued. ‘Fuck Louisiana. Fuck Bill Compton. Eric inherited Godric’s estate last year, so it’s mine now. Whilst I have absolutely zero fucking desire to visit Eric’s holdings in Öland…’

‘The windy shit hole?’ Tara inquired.

‘That’s the one. But Godric had property in France. Eric sold most of it off, but he kept Godric’s home in Bordeaux.’ Pam finished.

‘You wanna run?’ I could sense Pam didn’t like my use of the word ‘run’. I hastened to placate her. ‘No no! I’m not saying it’s a bad idea, lord knows we’re no match for Bill all jumped up on Lilith.’ I trailed off. Pam still looked pissed. ‘Um, I trust your judgement Pam. Whatever you think is best…’ She was still glaring. I glanced at Tara who helpfully mouthed a word at me. It was worth a shot. ‘Ma’am?’

Pam nodded, her glare fading.

‘Well France, or should I say Gaul sounds like a fucking great idea to me.’ Tara did sound pretty enthusiastic. Then her face suddenly fell. ‘Oh hell no. We’re gonna have to fly in coffins aren’t we?’

*

Pam spent the rest of the evening on one of her disposable prepaid phones and her laptop. With my vamp hearing I could tell she was organising travel and Eric’s estate with a lawyer. She also called someone and spoke a lot of French.

Tara and I watched TV. The house had a nice big flat screen. Jason would have loved it. Of course we weren’t watching football. We were watching CNN. Bill had incited mass hysteria in Louisiana. The national guard was trying to lock down New Orleans. They did a special report on the fancy vampire-specific weapons they’d equipped them with. Special silver bullets, stuff using UV.  It was real high tech and judging from the footage of exploding vamps, real effective.

It wasn’t just the army guys though, vampires were being killed in their sleep, even honest to goodness main streamers. Anti-Vampire groups were springing up everywhere. It seemed like everyone thought the entire mainstreaming thing had been a big con all of a sudden. Politicians were making statements, and it wasn’t just the conservative super Christian types either. Some of the big names in vampire rights were starting to take back their support. The AVL was going into damage control, painting Bill as another Russell Edgington, a lone extremist. A terrorist. They were pledging their full support in ‘bringing him to justice’. But there was footage of Steve Newlin, their former golden boy, fooling around with Russell and killing a whole frat house of college boys.

It didn’t seem like anyone was buying it. Not with the Trueblood factories having been bombed. The spokespeople were talking about stockpiles and having new factories up and running within weeks, but it seemed like way too little, way too late.

Vampire hotels and bars were being bombed and burnt out, and not only in Louisiana. There was footage of lynch mobs, except the nooses were silver and instead of hanging they were burning folk. Lots of innocent people were getting caught in the cross fire. Pets and fangbangers were being attacked and even killed in cases of mistaken identity or just plain hatred. There was even a sad story about some kids that liked to wear black and hang around a mall in New Orleans getting attacked. One of them was seriously injured when she was stabbed with a wooden stake. Turned out they were just high school juniors with nothing to do with vampires.

Tara and I both wanted to call our friends in Bon Temps, but we knew we couldn’t. The last thing we needed to do was draw attention to ourselves _or_ them. I was worried about Jason, he’d been acting so strange the last time I saw him, and Jessica, but I figured if Bill thought they knew where I was he’d hurt em. I’d just have to trust them to look out for each other. As for Sam and Lafayette, well, I prayed they slipped under Bill’s radar. Trying to contact them would just bring his attention down on them.

Before dawn Pam came and spoke to us. We were to sleep in travel coffins. Day people would be fetching us come morning, and we’d be waking up in LA before we headed to Paris. She made me drink a heap of extra blood. She didn’t want me waking up and eating anybody. I had to admit I was worried about interacting with living, breathing people. In fact, I worried myself over it intentionally. I found panicking kept my thoughts off that Eric shaped black hole in my heart.

*

Of course all our plans came to nothing.

I didn’t wake up in an Anubis lounge in LA. I woke up in New Orleans and I wasn’t greeted by a human I was worried I’d hurt, I was greeted by Bill Compton, (or at least whatever was left of him), who I would have _loved_ to hurt.

Bill’s voice was sweet, but his eyes were real cold when he spoke. ‘Sookie. I fear I am too late. When I felt your pain I tried to come to you, but Pamela hid you well. I am sorry, I know you did not wish to be vampire.’

Just a few days before he’d called me an abomination. Quoted some Vampire bible nonsense saying humanity was ‘a spring to slake thy thirst’. Now he was pretending he cared I’d been turned? I debated whether or not I wanted to play along. I could still feel Pam in our bond, and I sensed Tara was nearby, our shared blood called to each other.

‘If you felt my pain Bill, why didn’t you come to me before? When I was in agony while you were torturing Eric.’ My mouth appeared to be just as big as a vampire. Looked like I wasn’t going to be playing along with Bill’s games.

He played dumb. ‘I assure you Sookie, I did not torture Eric.’ Like _hell_ he didn’t. ‘I am aware that you are… fond… of him. I would not cause you such distress my darling.’ _Darling?_

I wanted to spit in his face. ‘Are we just gonna pretend that you didn’t try and kill me at the Authority building? That Eric didn’t have to hold you back so I could get away?’

‘Sookie, I am aware I was… not _myself_ … when I first ascended as Lilith’s Voice, and I am relieved I did not hurt you, however whatever happened to Eric I was uninvolved.’ He was giving me his most earnest, honourable look. Liar. I couldn’t bring myself to respond. I was too disgusted.

‘You have seen the news? With the true blood factories gone and Russell loose the humans are turning on vampire. I am unaware of Sheriff Northman’s current whereabouts, but I think it likely one of these hate groups have captured him.’ Oh my lord, was he really trying to spin this? Did he think I was born yesterday? Well, I was turned the day before yesterday, but that was beside the point.

I crossed my arms. ‘Russell is dead and _you_ blew up those factories.’

Bill’s head turned on one side like a bird. ‘Russell is dead?’ He didn’t try and deny the true blood part.

‘Eric staked him right before he woulda eaten me and a bunch of my faerie cousins.’ There wasn’t any point keeping that from him. There was no way he’d be able to get to Claude and the others without a fairy dumb enough to let him drain them. Truth be told I just wanted to be able to tell him that Eric bested a 3000 year old vampire. And he hadn’t needed any crazy ancient vampire blood to do it.  I looked around the room we were in, mostly just so I didn’t have to look at Bill’s face. It was kinda familiar.

I recognised the over the top gilding and pastels. ‘Is this Sophie-Anne’s place?’

Bill smirked. ‘It _was_ Sophie-Anne’s. Naturally as King of Louisiana it fell to me. I have only recently decided to make it my permanent home however.’

‘Aren’t you worried about the national guard and all that? Surely they know about this place?’ I hoped they did. I’d take one of those fancy UV bullets happily as long as there were a few dozen with Bill’s name on them as well.

Bill sneered. ‘I do not fear the cattle. Soon all of Louisiana will bow to me. Vampire and human alike.’ Yup. Crazy. I felt almost sorry for him. I wondered what the Bill I’d met two years previously would have thought of this new and improved Lilith infused one? It was almost impossible to reconcile this crazed vampire with the man who’d been so kind in so many ways back then. The man who’d spoken to gran’s friends at her ‘descendants of the gloriously dead’ meeting, a man who’d cared about living breathing people. Apparently they were just ‘cattle’ now.

I’d already had enough chit chat for the evening and I’d only been up five minutes. ‘Is Tara okay?’

‘Miss Thornton and her maker are unharmed.’ The threat was plain. They weren’t harmed _yet_.

‘May I see them?’

Bill frowned. ‘You wish to see Pamela? After she killed you? Turned you?’

Ah. So Bill hadn’t figured it out yet. He probably thought Pam had turned me against my will. I played it cool. ‘She’s my maker.’

He waved a hand dismissively. ‘You may see them when I am done with you.’ I didn’t much like his tone. Or the way he was looking me over. ‘You are even more attractive dead than you were alive Sookie.’ His vamp speed was incredible. He was in my face, arms wrapped around me before I knew what he was doing. He was way faster than Pam or Tara. His fangs were out and I could feel his erection against my hip. I shuddered in revulsion. Bill was handsome, and once upon a time I’d loved him, but there was none of that love left in me and the thing in front of me wasn’t even the same person.

He disgusted me.

I tried to back away but he was too strong. I might as well of still been human for how much I could budge from his grasp.

‘I remember well the first time I fucked another vampire Sookie. Fucking humans pales in comparison. You will enjoy this.’ My dead blood would have frozen in my veins if it could have. I renewed my efforts to escape him.

‘Bill! No. I don’t want this.’ It was unlikely, but maybe I could buy myself some time. Time to snap a leg off a chair or something and arm myself before Bill could rape me. I sensed Pam’s unease. She could feel my fear. I tried to calm myself. Bill chuckled and pressed his hips against mine. I felt ill. I shivered in fear and disgust.

He groaned at the movement, his eyes narrowing in victory. ‘You _do_ want this. You quiver with desire.’ I purposely went completely limp and still against him. ‘Don’t be ashamed Sookie. Don’t hold back. It’s natural. You are vampire now, you were _made_ for this.’ He tried to kiss me. I turned my head away and felt cold lips and sharp fangs against my cheek. He dragged his mouth along my jaw and against my neck. I felt him inhale the scent of my skin. I was shaking again. I wanted to throw up. Suddenly he threw me back. I stumbled across the room. Only my new vampire grace stopped me from tripping. Bill’s face was scrunched up in disgust. ‘You stink of him. Of _Eric._ ’

I did? Oh goody! Even from beyond the grave Eric was protecting me.

I narrowed my eyes at Bill. ‘I bet I taste of him too. Pam sure does.’ Bill curled his upper lip in disgust. ‘Her blood is almost as good. It was so easy to pretend it was him with me when she turned me.’ I licked my lips and tried to channel my maker’s aggressive sexuality. I felt like a bit of an idiot but judging from Bill’s reaction I was doing a passable impression.

He was breathing deeply. He only did that when he was really angry. He didn’t need oxygen after all.

‘Eric’s blood was _amazing._  A _miracle._ Like drinking fire.’ I continued dreamily, laying it on thick. ‘You know he didn’t even need to touch me, just a mouthful of that and I…’ I shrugged. ‘well. You know.’ Bill did not look turned on at all anymore. He looked like he wanted to rip my head off. I was amiable. It was a better prospect than sex.

‘You will not speak of Eric Northman!’ Bill yelled. His jaw clenched and his hands were in fists by his side. I watched him take a deep breath and calm himself.

‘You will join your maker now I think Miss Stackhouse.’ I smiled before I could help myself. That was exactly what I wanted. Then the door opened and two vampires wearing gloves and holding silver chains walked in. The smile dropped right off my face.

*

‘Fucking Bill fucking Compton. I was looking forward to Gaul.’ I let out a laugh at Tara’s continued persistence in referring to France as Gaul.

Pam sighed. ‘Cease your prattling. I am attempting to go to my happy place.’

I wondered what Pam’s happy place was like. ‘Öland?’ I asked.

Tara snorted in laughter then tried to turn it into a cough. Like vampires coughed.

I couldn’t see my maker from where I was chained up, but I felt her glare.

There was silence for a few minutes before Tara broke it again. ‘I bet the donors would have tasted better. Drinking wine and lying around all day and eating chocolate and all that nice French cooking.’

‘I dunno Tara, all that _Gaulish_ cookin’ has garlic in it.’

Pam sighed again.

‘Hmm. I didn’t think of that. Maybe _Öland_ would’ve been better.’ Tara responded.

Pam hissed at the mention of the ‘windy shit hole.’ I couldn’t help it. I laughed.

‘I should have let both of you imbeciles die. Don’t speak of that place. I ruined $10 000 worth of shoes there in the 70’s.’ She paused. ‘And that isn’t taking inflation into consideration.’

Silence reigned for much longer this time. The only noises were the occasional shuffling and clinking as Tara and I tried to get more comfortable with our silver chains. It was a constant burn against my wrists and neck. Also the smell of our slowly burning skin was gross. Like terrible BBQ.

‘Hey sook, if you could bite anyone, who would it be?’ Tara might have been asking me about which movie star I’d take on a date from her tone. Naturally the name I wanted to blurt out was _Eric_ but I kept that in and ignored the wave of sadness I felt at the thought of him.

‘Hmm. I’d have to think about it. Pam, who’s the most famous person you’ve ever bit?’

‘I am not going to spend what will in all likelihood be my last night gossiping like a teenage girl.’ she drawled.

‘Aw come on Pam! I bet you’ve biten lots of famous people!’ Tara cajoled.

‘I have.’

Tara and I waited but our maker did not appear to want to elaborate. ‘Such as…?’ I prompted.

Pam sighed. ‘Well, back in the 90’s Eric and I did once share the Spice Girls.’

Tara and I both laughed.

‘As I recall the ‘scary’ one was quite delicious. Although to be honest most celebrities taste worse than the average fangbanger.’

‘Drugs?’ Tara inquired.

‘Mm-hmm. Most musicians are a waste of time for that very reason. Duran Duran gave me terrible food poisoning. The 80’s were _awful_ for finding a decent meal.’

It was too much. ‘The Spice Girls and Duran Duran? You’re making this up.’

‘Why on earth would I lie about such an _atrocious_ meal? Still, my Simon Le Bon allergy was _nothing_ compared to Eric’s David Bowie incident.’ I could hear Pam’s smirk. ‘He should have known better but he was quite star struck. It took me a week to find him. He’d dyed his hair green and taken to wearing jumpsuits. He took a month to sober up.’

I was pretty sure she was exaggerating, a lot, but I couldn’t help but laugh remembering how Eric had acted after he drained Claudine, playing around like an enormous five year old, pinching my butt and pretending to be a sea monster.

Tara chose that moment to ruin Pam’s good mood. ‘You know who I’d like to bite? _Öland-_ o Bloom.’

Even I groaned.

 


	3. Chapter 3

*

Bill turned out to be a pretty lacklustre villain. We weren’t fed and we were trussed up in silver, but otherwise he more or less ignored us. He came and visited us the second night we were there and drained some poor girl in front of us, but he seemed content to take his time with us or something. A part of me wished he’d just get on with it.

It was midnight of our third evening in Sophie-Anne’s dungeon when some lackeys dragged us up for an audience with ‘King William’.

The Palace was packed with vampires. It seemed that Bill had either offered them safe harbour or he’d threatened them somehow. It still seemed stupid to me for the vampires to group up when they were being hunted down.

We were led through halls and corridors I didn’t remember from my previous visit and into a great big hall. A throne room I guess you’d call it. Or maybe a ballroom? It was done up in Sophie-Anne’s favoured mix of neoclassical and rococo rendered in plaster and paint. It was tacky. It reminded me of a Vegas casino or a mobster’s house. It was huge and kinda impressive though, don’t get me wrong.

Vamps were lined up half a dozen deep along the walls. There must’ve been a three or four hundred. To be honest I wasn’t aware there were that many in the entire state. Pam seemed surprised by the turn out as well. Our escorts marched us down a red carpeted aisle between a row of columns towards Bill’s throne.

It was big and gold and stupid looking. It even had one of those velvet tents with big feathery plumes over the top of it like the Queen of England or something. The only thing about the scene that was at all vampirey was Bill’s choice of backdrop.

Instead of a flag or whatever a human king might have had in times gone by, Bill had a corpse. I couldn’t tell if it was a dead human or a vampire that sure as hell wished he was dead, but he’d been nailed and chained to the wall behind the throne. A great big sword protruded from the man’s stomach like a pin holding a butterfly to a board. I guess it was Bill’s warning. I had a bad feeling that Eric had looked something like that poor thing before he’d been finally killed. Pam’s thoughts mirrored my own.

The carpet in front of the throne was dark with blood stains and bits of vampire goo. From the smell I guessed at least a dozen people, both vampire and human, had met a sticky end there over the last few days. My heart gave a lurch as I realised that I could smell Eric. It was faint, old, hidden under fresher blood, but there none the less. He’d bled here. I glanced around. This was in all likelihood the last thing he’d seen before he died. For all I knew some of the little lumps of vampire flesh in front of me were parts of him.

Our guards yanked on our connected chains to bring us to our knees before Bill. The bloody carpet squelched beneath me, soaking into my jeans.

The guards bowed and one of them announced us. ‘The Norseman’s women your majesty.’

We were quite the objects of curiosity. Most of the vamps were aware of Pam, she was respected as Eric’s second, and they were real curious about me, cause there’d been so much drama around me. They were real curious about Tara cause they had no idea who she was. Pam had never made a child, and Eric had only ever made one, so we were something of a surprise.

Bill was wearing an expensive suit and was looking really _pink._ ‘Miss Stackhouse, Miss Thornton and Miss Swynford De Beaufort. I trust you have been comfortable?’ I tried to read him. It was like there were half a dozen people inside his head all talking over each other. None of it was in English. I wondered again exactly _what_ that blood he’d drunk was.

Tara and I glared at him and let our maker do the talking.

‘Just peachy keen King Bill.’ Pam drawled. Bill had backhanded her and returned to his seat before I could even blink. He was scary fast. He’d broken Pam’s nose.

Tara and I helped her straighten up.

‘I find myself in something of a dilemma.’ Bill was using his Southern Gentleman voice and laying it on thick. It was weird hearing him talk like that when his thoughts were in a weird mix of ancient creepy sounding languages. ’Appius Livius Ocella’s line was once one of the greatest of all vampire bloodlines. The vampires of his making were truly magnificent. Worthy inheritors of Lilith’s great gift. And his youngest child, Godric Teutates, was fiercest of them all before he lost his way. Before he was corrupted.’

I realised that what I felt at hearing Godric’s name was something quite different to what I would’ve felt a week ago. There was pride mixed with the pity and sorrow I felt for one of the most human vampires I had known. It was strange to think we were kinda related now. His blood, through Pam and Eric, ran in my veins.

Rather than scaring me, Bill’s words actually helped me regain a little strength of will. I remembered the reason I’d let Pam to turn me - so Bill would never have power over me. It was still a damn good reason. With Eric gone I was living on borrowed time anyway. Bill would kill me, no doubt he’d torture me first, play with me, but he could only hurt my body. I was a vampire. Only my maker could touch my heart, or my soul or whatever it was that made me Sookie, and Pam - being of Eric’s and Godric’s line, held that trust as sacred. For all her snarky coldness, Pam would never betray me or Tara. She would not use her maker’s hold over us to bargain with Bill. She would meet her true death before harming us.

Bill was still gesturing grandly from his throne and pontificating. He reminded me of a particularly theatrical preacher. I ignored him and focused on my bond with Pam, and the connection she provided to Tara. It had taken a murderous werewolf bitch, Bill going insane and Eric meeting his true death, but I finally felt a true sense of belonging. I’d found it with Pam and Tara, my vampire maker and sister. It was different to what I’d felt for gran and Jason, because no matter how much I’d loved them and they’d loved me, my difference had always been there getting in the way and trying to ruin things between us. But Pam, Tara and I, well, as Tara put it, we’d _‘been through some shit._ ’ I loved them, in a cold snakey vampire way, but it was still love. They were my family. I could feel Pam’s amusement at my emotional epiphany through our bond and Tara’s grudging affection. It just made me love them more. I was sure I was about to die a horrible death, but I was glad to be doing it with them.

Of course Bill had to ruin the moment. He’d worked himself into something of a fever listening to his own crap. He waved a hand towards us kneeling women and pronounced grandly: ‘How sad to see this great line so reduced. Here they are, all that is left of Appius’ noble blood. A whore, a barmaid and a coloured girl.’ The bonds between us, between Pam and her children weren’t all soft and fluffy with my sappy feelings any more.

None of us had taken particular offense to Bill’s words, Pam _had_ been a prostitute and had long since stopped caring about such slurs, Tara was pissed at being called out on her skin, but again, she’d dealt with red necks all her life, and lord knows ‘barmaid’ didn’t bother me one bit, but _damn_ if we weren’t touchy as hell about each other. I couldn’t remember the last time hearing someone insulted had upset me so much. Pam was ten times the vampire Bill ever was and Tara was my best friend. I had to bite my tongue to stop myself yelling out something stupid at Bill’s ugly head.

‘Now now Bill, no need for name calling.’ Pam’s drawl was as perfectly deadpan as ever, despite her bloody nose.

I had to hold back a smirk and I felt Tara’s surge of pride and lust as our maker defied Bill so casually.

Bill’s face twisted grotesquely in his anger. For the millionth time I felt a little shudder of disgust that I’d kissed that face. The longer I dealt with crazy Lillith-Bill the harder it was to remember the ‘real’ Bill, not that he’d turned out to be great boyfriend material anyway.

Before I could ruminate further on my poor choices in regards to romance, Bill again used his new and improved vamp speed to approach Pam and haul her to her feet. He had her dangling in the air by her throat in a split second. Tara and I were dragged towards him by the chain that connected us. Amazingly rather than fear, all I felt from my magnificent maker was amusement. It took me a moment to realise Pam thought it was funny that Bill, being shorter than her in heels, could only get her a few inches off the ground.

‘I will not allow insubordination Pamela Swynford De Beaufort. You will swear fealty to me, show me the respect I am owed as the Chancellor of the Vampire Authority, the Voice of Lilith and the King of Louisiana or you will meet your true death.’ Bill was lying of course. Pam was just as dead as me, fealty or not. Bill’s hatred for Eric was too great to let any child of his live. His words were for the benefit of the Louisiana vamps lining the room.

Funny thing was, most of them seemed to realise this just as easily as I did. I was finding it _real interesting_ to be reading the minds of pretty much all the oldest most powerful vamps in Louisiana in one go. Most of them seemed to be of similar opinion as Eric had been with regards to the Lilith crap. They’d go along with it, but they certainly weren’t happy about being bossed around by a religious fanatic with the strength of a couple of Russell Edgingtons and whole lot more crazy. The older ones were pissed off actually. It seemed Bill hadn’t been popular when he’d served Sophie-Anne and he hadn’t made many friends as King in his own right. The only reason the older vamps weren’t trying their strength on him was the grisly flayed and drained figure pinned up behind the throne.

Morbidly I fished around for the identity of the poor vamp. If Bill had hated him enough to do that to him, he’d probably been a decent guy. Maybe I’d have heard of him. I zeroed in on the Sheriff of Area 2, a vampire about 500 years old. She was one of the oldest ones actually thinking in English and I could see from her thoughts that she was fixated on Bill’s grisly wall decoration.

_‘Compton always was a little shit. I can’t believe I’m standing here listening to this fucking crap.’_ She was real angry. _‘He was bad enough as King. Going to have to leave the state. Maybe the US in general. I’m too old for this shit.’_ The woman ruminated on her European holdings for a minute, weighing up if she’d rather spend a few decades in Wales or Ireland. She was irritated at the money she’d loose. She’d made a lot of investments in Louisiana. _‘I’m twice as old as this little bastard. I can’t believe I have to sit through this.’_ I could feel her looking at the flayed figure in distaste. She’d seen worse but I could tell she hadn’t seen that sorta violence for a few centuries. She thought it was gauche. 

_‘But if the Norseman couldn’t kill him I have no chance.’_

I ‘watched’ in growing horror, a cold feeling of dread spreading through my already cold body as the woman tried to reconcile the bloody mess that was chained and nailed to the wall with my Eric’s beautiful body. It was him. I could feel bloody tears welling in my eyes. I took an unnecessary breathe in a vain attempt to regain my vampire composure.

Pam’s head snapped in my direction and I could felt Tara’s concern. Bill dropped Pam and walked slowly to stand in front of me. I tried to remain outwardly calm as I shared my suspicions with my maker through our bond. I felt it the moment Pam realised what I’d discovered. Who that was nailed to the wall. Any doubts I had were dismissed, Pam recognised the sword protruding from the bloody figure as Eric’s. I’d never felt such anger. I half expected Pam to burst into flame she was so full of rage. As it was my maker’s emotions destroyed the last walls containing my own feelings and they swept through me. Every muscle in my body tensed up painfully. My fangs had descended and were literally _aching_ to be buried in Bill’s throat. I wanted to kill him. I wanted to tear him into little pieces with my bare hands. I realised I was glaring in pure hatred at Bill but I couldn’t control myself. I was vaguely aware that Pam, Tara and myself were all hissing at Bill like cobras.

The hall had gone utterly silent and Bill was smirking at us in apparent delight. ‘Why, I do believe the ladies have _finally_ taken in the finer points of my decorations for the evening.’ He shook his head in mock disappointment. ‘I must admit I am surprised it took this long. True, Eric is something of a _mess_ at the moment, but even drained - surely at least you Pam, recognise your maker’s scent?’

Pam roared. Literally roared. It wasn’t a scream or a yell, or any other noise that should be able to come out of a little blonde woman, it was a roar. It was deafening. I could _feel_ it in my eardrums like water. It seemed to hit Bill like a physical force and he took three unsteady steps backwards. The floor vibrated beneath me. I half expected the walls to start shaking. I found myself joining in. There didn’t seem to be anything special about my yell, but it seemed when my maker lost it I came along for the ride, Tara was tagging along as well - screaming her head off like a banshee. Judging from the thoughts that I picked out of the mess of emotions in that hall, we looked quite the sight. Three angry hysterical vampire women.

Bill composed himself as we fell back into silence and hissing. He frowned for a few seconds before smiling again. ‘My my Miss Beauford. You are full of surprises. _Clamor Magnus._ The _Great Cry_. That skill was thought to have died along with Appius. Perhaps you aren’t as worthless as you appear.’ Around us I could feel the tension in the watching vamps. They were hoping we’d somehow deal with Bill for them, hoping Pam would pull out a few more impressive moves, but if not they were happy to watch us die and cheer Bill afterwards. Fucking Vampires.

I realised that over the course of our ‘audience’ with Bill, we’d all gotten worked up so much that we were all pulling on our chains. The silver around my wrists was digging and burning into the flesh of my arms. I could barely feel it. I was so angry. My eyes were darting between my poor Eric’s tortured body and Bill’s face. I was torn between the need to go to Eric and my desire to kill Bill. Of course I could do neither chained up in silver. I could feel Pam testing the strength of her chains and Tara doing likewise. To my surprise I realised that Tara could break hers.

She was strong.

Way stronger than me, and maybe stronger than Pam. I remembered Eric telling me, what seemed like years ago, that vampires all had different gifts. Pam apparently had some weird yelling thing, Eric could fly, maybe Tara was extra strong? Hadn’t one of Sophie-Anne’s vamps had that? I used the bridge formed by our maker’s blood to try and encourage her to do it. I could see she’d been holding back. I then reached at Pam and shared that information with her. I sensed her intention to rush Bill and try and kill him the moment the chains broke. I figured she’d be killed, and she seemed to share the opinion, but it seemed as good a death as any of us were likely to get. Better a quick death in a fight than joining Eric on the wall.

The silver snapped suddenly and my body reacted with vamp speed before I could really decide on a course of action. Pam and Tara headed straight for Bill, latching themselves onto him like kids climbing a tree. I was ten feet in the air hovering above Bill’s throne before I realised what was I was doing. Apparently I could fly. I wondered if Pam would get the chance to be jealous before she died.

I headed to the wall. I tried not to look too close at Eric, or what was left of him, focusing instead on how he was pinned to the wall. Silver chains attached to great big silver stakes. Great. I pulled at them. They burnt me. They were much thicker than those that had been restraining us. There was no way I’d be able to break them. I felt a sudden horrible pain in my side and my body dropped a few feet before I could stop myself. Pam had been thrown down the hall and into a pillar. She was injured, but already charging back towards Bill the moment her feet touched the floor.

I turned back to Eric. I knew I had maybe a minute, or however long Bill wanted to toy with Tara and Pam for before I’d be back in chains or worse. I grabbed the sword. It was steel, or iron -whatever – not silver. I was able to pull it out and let it drop to the floor. Again I pulled at the silver chains. I felt my strength sap the moment they touched my skin. I couldn’t move them. I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving Eric in such a state, even if Bill was going to kill us both anyway. My hands were clenched into fists. I was impotent with rage. I couldn’t free him. Then I felt a familiar sensation I hadn’t felt since I’d awoken vampire.

My light.

I looked down at my hands. Sure enough, there were my faithful microwave fingers. Without a second thought I directed my light at Eric. The blast that came outta my hands seemed stronger than usual. The chains came apart easily and I had to dart forward to catch Eric’s body as it started to slide down the wall. I wasn’t as strong as Tara, but I was still a vampire. I could have lifted a loaded minivan. Maybe a school bus. One tortured Viking was nothing.

I spun in the air, and just like that, I had hope again. Eric wasn’t dead, we weren’t chained up. Escape was possible. We could survive. I dropped to the floor with my Viking, already biting my wrist. I pressed it to his mouth and spread my other hand over the centre of his chest. I could feel the excitement of the watching vampires. They’d been impressed with Pam’s special yell, Tara’s strength and my flying. All were powerful gifts. My light was the icing on the cake. It had them actually amazed. They’d never seen a gift like it before. Of course what they didn’t know was that it wasn’t a vampire gift at all. Most of them seemed to be hoping we’d pull a victory out of our asses. None of them were contemplating joining the fray however. I blocked them out and focused on Eric.

I could feel my light building up again. I remembered Claude telling me that my light wasn’t just a weapon, it was part of me. Even though Eric wasn’t dead, we were still more or less screwed. It didn’t seem like much of a risk. If I killed him, he’d probably thank me if we met up in hell or wherever it was vampires went when we died.

I clenched my jaw and focused on my love for Eric. My desire to heal and protect him, not hurt him. When I was as focused as I could be, I shot the heck outta him with my light. His body jerked like a patient getting defibrillated in a movie. I didn’t let up. I put on a fairy light show the likes of which the vamps of Louisiana are unlikely to ever see again. I could feel that aching hollow within me filling up. I pressed my power harder, trying to fill that void. It happened suddenly. One moment Eric wasn’t there, so weakened I could only feel his absence, the next he existed within me again. The blood bond between us thrummed with energy once more.

A bloody hand clasped my arm and his fangs sunk into my wrist. I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy in my life.

I felt him pull at my blood once, twice, and then he sat up with all the speed of a thousand year old vamp and sunk his teeth into my neck. He’d never fed so roughly on me before, but it didn’t matter since I was dead now anyway. It didn’t hurt. He was clutching me to him impossibly tight, one arm wrapped around me like a steel bar, the other twisted in my hair. I reached for him through our blood bond the same way I reached to Pam through our maker’s bond. I felt him reaching for me in return. Just feeling his presence instead of that terrible emptiness I’d been feeling for the last week brought me such joy. I raised a hand to gently press it to the back of his head. All I could feel was the crispness of hair caked in dried blood, but I didn’t care. He was alive. I leant towards him.

_‘Eric..._ ’

I was still crying. His grip on me gentled. The fingers he had buried in my hair started massaging my scalp softly. I felt him hum against my skin in response to my voice as he continued to drink from me.

Abruptly I felt terrible pain through my maker’s bond. Eric’s head shot up and we both looked to see Bill approaching us having torn off Pam’s right arm at the elbow.

Eric shot to his feet. He was growling.

I was amazed. Pam was amazed. Tara was amazed. Every vamp in the room whose mind I could sense was amazed. Not five minutes ago Eric had been so close to death not even his own progeny and two others of his bloodline could sense his presence in the same room.

Eric still looked like a complete mess. Worse than Bill had after he’d disintegrated then reformed with Lillith’s blood. I tried not to let my gaze linger too long on any part of his body. His golden hair was dark with blood and plastered to his scalp, but I could see parts where it was missing and bone showed where bits of his scalp had been torn from his skull. He didn’t appear to have any broken bones, miraculously, or at least none that were slowing him down, but I could see the lines along the meat of his muscles, the white of tendons and the blue of veins. If I didn’t look closely I could pretend he was just covered in blood, not for all intents and purposes _flayed._

The only part of him that was unmarked, untouched and safe to look at, were his eyes. Impossibly blue against the red and black mess of blood and gore that covered him. They were that same cold arctic shade as always. Those eyes, at seeing his child wounded, narrowed. Burned.

Pam stumbled back from Bill staring at Eric in awe, her injury forgotten. ‘Eric!’ Bill shot forward and backhanded her across the hall again. With only one arm she could not land properly. I felt bones break through our bond. Rage filled me. How _dare_ Bill hurt my maker! Tara shared my sentiment and charged Bill, managing to get one decent left hook in before she too was thrown aside like a rag doll, despite her strength.

I could feel Eric’s rage through our bond. It mirrored my own. I rose to my feet to stand behind him. I was no match for Bill and I was exhausted from shooting so much of my light into Eric, but I’d give Bill a good zap before he got me.

Bill turned his attention to me. ‘Sookie my darling, it seems your powers have been strengthened by your turning.’ His gaze flicked over Eric. ‘Since you will prove such a useful asset, I will forgive your interference with the Norseman’s punishment.’

My lip curled as he called me ‘darling’.

Eric’s growling intensified but he seemed almost frozen into place. He felt strange through our bond Blurred.

‘Yield to me Sookie and I will show Lilith’s mercy to your traitorous friends.’ Lilith’s _mercy_ my ass.

A few cutting remarks flitted through my head. I wanted to tell Bill exactly how I felt about him, how _low_ he was in my regard. I wanted to insult him as much as possible, repercussions be damned.

‘Give yourself to me. You will be my Queen. The Norseman’s life is forfeit, but Tara and Pamela could serve me.’ Ha! He didn’t really think I’d believe a single word from his lying mouth did he?

I pretended to contemplate his offer. ‘Pam and Tara? You won’t kill them?’

Bill smiled. ‘No Sookie, for you I would spare them.’

I think Pam knew I was stalling, but Tara, bless her, had to make her opinions on the matter clear. ‘Don’t you fucking dare Sookie! I’d sooner take Eric’s spot on the fucking wall then accept Bill motherfucking Compton’s motherfucking _mercy._ ’ She did have a way with words did Tara.

I felt Pam’s amusement. I didn’t feel much of anything from Eric. I wasn’t sure if he knew what was going on. I still wasn’t sure how he was standing. Strength of will alone? I wondered if he was strong enough to fly. I looked around the ceiling speculatively. Unsurprisingly there was no convenient sky light.

Bill turned to regard Tara who was leaning against a pillar with an arm wrapped around Pam. ‘So be it Tara Thornton I’ll make sure it takes years for you to find your true death!’

Well, there went Bill’s so called mercy.

He turned back to me, his eyes burning with that particular madness that Lilith’s blood had instilled in them. I shuddered. ‘ _Kneel before me Sookie Stackhouse. Kneel before me girl.’_ The fucker was trying to glamour me? And who was he calling _girl_? I was a _woman_ thank you very much and I might only be a few days old, but I was a vampire to boot goddammit. Not a _girl_.

I tried to read Bill’s thoughts. He intended to kill me, he was just offering mercy so it would be as theatrical as possible. He wanted me kneeling to him when he tore my throat out.

I sensed that this was it. I was gonna die any minute now. Well screw it. It was kinda liberating really. I wasn’t going out as some whimpering barmaid. That wasn’t why I’d asked Pam to turn me. I was going to die as myself. The real me. Not crazy Sookie the waitress from Bon Temps or stupid Sookie who got played like a fool by Bill Compton and Sophie-Anne. I was the granddaughter of Adele Hale and Fintan Brigant. I was a goddamned fairy and a vampire with the blood of Eric Northman and Godric whatever-Bill-said-his-name-was in my veins! Why the heck would should I humble myself before Bill Compton? Who was he in comparison to me? A southern farmer turned vampire by a psychopathic bitch. Just because he’d found religion and drank some old crazy vampire blood didn’t make him any better. I couldn’t really express all those jumbled up thoughts as concisely as say, Pam would have been able to, but I did my best.

’Brigant!’ Bill looked confused at my outburst. I felt shock from the few vampires who recognised the name. Well good. I’d heard all about how bloodthirsty and proud my fairy family was, Bill himself had seen fit to warn me about them, but it was only now that I faced death for a second time that I felt that fae fierceness within myself. I could feel my light beginning to pool in my hands once more. My voice was clear and strong when I continued. ‘I ain’t no _girl_ and I ain’t no Stackhouse, as you know full well Bill Compton. I’m the granddaughter of Fintan Brigant,’ there a few gasps amongst the older vamps. It appeared Fintan’s reputation _hadn’t_ been exaggerated. ’… I’m goddamned Sky Fae _Royalty_. My kind were around long before humans existed, let along vampires. Before your precious Lilith was more than a twinkle in a caveman’s eye!’ I was on a roll. ‘I didn’t kneel to Queen Mab when she dragged me off to faerie last year. And I sure as heck ain’t kneeling before the likes of _you._ ’

It wasn’t exactly up to Pam or Eric’s standards as far as vampiric distain went, I don’t think ‘heck’ is in either of their vocabularies, but I was trying. Bill was staring at me like I’d grown two heads. He didn’t like this new side to me. Fae or Vampire pride or whatever it was. In a stroke of inspiration, I continued. ‘The only vampire I’ll kneel before is Eiríkr inn Sigrsæli.’ I wasn’t sure I’d pronounced Eric’s name correctly, I’d only heard Pam say it once after all, but I made good on my word. I sunk to my knees beside him. I was sorta hoping it would snap Eric out of his funk, but he just continuing glaring at Bill and growling.

Bill looked like he might throw up. I restrained the urge to smirk. Yep. Proclaiming myself better than him and belittling his precious Lilith had been a massive insult to his southern ‘gentleman’s’ pride, but kneeling to Eric over him and casually revealing he was some sorta legendary viking king was he final nail in the coffin so to speak.

‘You dare insult the Blood of Lilith?! You would bow to _him_ before me? I who am vessel for the blood of the progenitor of our race?!’ Bill was practically foaming at the mouth. His accent was becoming almost absurd.

‘I’d sooner die at Eric’s feet then spend eternity at your side.’ I countered dramatically. Oh yeah. I was getting as good at the theatrics at Bill himself.

He snapped. He moved too quickly for me to follow, even with my vampire senses. One minute he was glaring at me, the next he was right in front of me. But I wasn’t dead.

Eric had one bloody hand wrapped around the arm Bill had raised against me. Bill was staring at him in disbelief. I was just as surprised, but managed to use the distraction to my advantage. I zapped Bill with everything I had left. He was blasted back a few meters, but didn’t seem injured. I gathered my light for another strike anyway. It was much harder. I was tired and weak.

Bill looked from me to Eric and I heard him decide to get me first to use against Eric in his twisted head. He vanished in a blur but again, but before he could reach me Eric had intervened. Except this time he didn’t just grab Bill. I was crouched on the floor with my hands in my ears before I knew what was happening. The vampires lining the back of the hall had been shoved backwards. The two nearest pillars had collapsed. Plaster and stone was flaking down from the walls and ceiling and Bill was on his back right at the far end of the hall.

The _Magnus Clamos_ thingy. Looked like Pam wasn’t the only one of Appius’ descendants to have inherited it. Compared to her maker’s roar though, Pam’s was like the squeak of a kitten. Bill was on his feet in moments, dusty by unharmed, although I could see blood trickling down from his ears. I wondered if Eric had burst his eardrums. For the first time since he’d chugged Lilith’s accursed blood, Bill looked worried. Almost.

Eric stood before me, bloody and terrible, and _magnificent_.

Bill bared his fangs and hissed.

I scooted backwards along the floor. Vampire-faerie or not, this was way over my head. I’d just get in Eric’s way.

Bill slowly approached Eric, far more cautious than he’d been earlier. I could feel Pam’s pride and hope through our bond. She seemed to think her maker might have a chance. I didn’t see how he could. He was horribly wounded and only had maybe a pint of my blood in him. He needed weeks, _months_ of rest and a swimming pool of blood before he was anywhere near healed. And he’d been at full strength when he’d initially faced Bill the week before, and that had ended up with Eric as a conversation piece pinned to Bill’s wall.

Bill shot forward again. Eric reacted almost instantly. They met midway. I couldn’t follow their movements for the first few minutes. They were moving too fast. I did smell Bill’s tainted blood however.

Pam and Tara made their way to my side. We watched Eric and Bill in silence along with the rest of the vampires present. I didn’t open up my shields, I could tell what they would be thinking. They’d be hoping Eric would do their dirty work for them.

Eric was fighting differently to how I had seen him fight before. He’s always loved to fight, embraced it, but still maintained his usual control and detachment to a certain degree. He was showing neither in his fight with Bill. He was making terrible noises that didn’t sound even remotely human and literally throwing him around with zero thoughts on finesse.

Bill seemed put out by Eric’s wildness. I saw Bill land a solid blow to Eric’s chest, aiming for the silver stake that was still embedded beneath his left shoulder, but Eric didn’t even react, just backhanded him across the room like a bug.

Bill waved a hand at his favourites nearest the throne. ‘Kill him!’

A dozen various vamps popped their fangs and charged Eric. I saw him rip the heads of the first two, but after that it was a blur. It a matter of seconds they were reduced to soup around the Viking, save the last one, whom Eric drained before literally tearing in half. The sight would have repulsed me even a week earlier, but instead I felt nothing but excitement. Eric’s strength was exhilarating.

I didn’t understand what I was watching. How it was possible.

Pam, who was crouched beside me, whispered quietly. ‘ _Berserkr.’_

Bill was up again and looking pissed. He glanced at the vamps on the other side of the room and waved his hand to indicate they should attack Eric. Only six separated themselves from the group, and they were wary. Eric turned towards them and roared.

It was even more terrifying than first time. One of the vamps was only maybe 6 feet from Eric when he let loose. The vamp _exploded._ The slower ones behind him were thrown back in the air and slammed into the wall before dropping in the cowering crowd. In the deafening silence that followed, a chandelier fell and two random vamps were splattered beneath it.

Eric was unrecognisable. He was shaking or shivering and I could hear his teeth chattering. I heard vampires echoing Pam’s sentiment in awe around the room. He didn’t wait for Bill to charge him this time. Eric snarled and laid into Bill. They threw each other around the room, although Eric had an advantage in that he could _fly_ and didn’t appear to feel pain. Or anything else. Bill managed to lift one of the collapsed pillars and hurl it at him, but even that didn’t seem to phase Eric.

I felt Pam dart away, but I was too mesmerised by the scene in front of me to pay attention to her. She was gone only a few seconds before she appeared in front of me.

‘Eric!’ Her maker ignored Pam’s call, but when she threw Eric’s longsword in his direction, he caught it one handed and quickly put it to good use.

Pam was smiling. I could feel her anticipation. Tara and I were still freaking out, but she had absolute confidence in Eric.

Bill had slowed now. I was able to follow their movements as he and Eric belted one another around the room. However Bill now appeared to be at a distinct disadvantage. Eric showed no signs of slowing and he now had a very pointy sword that he had a thousand years’ experience using. Bill had the strength of Lilith’s blood, but he wasn’t a warrior, he didn’t have the skills. Eric was a thousand year old Viking berserker.

The end of the fight was so swift that I wasn’t really sure what had happened. One moment Bill was still holding his own, the next Eric had flown up and plummeted down onto him, his sword splitting Bill in half from his left shoulder down to his right hip. He hadn’t disintegrated. The sword wasn’t silver and his head and heart were still intact.

Bill made a horrible screaming noise as he fell to the ground.

Eric smiled at him as he flopped on the floor like a fish at his feet. He then grabbed him, pulling him up by his hair. Bill was still screaming. His body wasn’t completely severed in two and the glistening tubes and lumps of his entrails were sort of falling out of the gapping V of his torso. It was disgusting.

Eric seemed to savour the moment for a few seconds, then tore out Bill’s throat with his teeth. There was a terrible screeching noise as Bill turned to goo that I assumed was Lilith making her displeasure know. I realised that Eric had wanted Bill to survive the sword blow. His aim had been intentional. He had wanted to kill him with his bare hands, or in this case, fangs.

There was utter silence in the now blood splattered and more or less totalled hall. Eric growled and looked around at the spectators, as if daring any of them to step forward. As one they cringed backwards.

I wondered if we should run or what. I wasn’t sure of the protocol in these situations. Luckily Pam seemed to be in the know.

‘My master, Eiríkr inn Sigrsæli…’ I’d _definitely_ mispronounced it earlier. ‘…I swear my fealty to you.’ She dropped to her knee and dipped her head to her maker.

I felt her prompt through our bond that I should do likewise. As one, Tara and I knelt and echoed her words. There was shuffling and murmuring as every single vampire in the room followed suit.

Eric’s growling quietened. He took in the room of kneeling vampires in almost disappointment, as if he had hoped to fight them all. After a minute he walked past Pam, resting a hand on her shoulder as he did so. She practically bounced up to her feet and followed him. Tara and I nervously waited until we received similar taps before rising. Eric stared at me for a long moment and although I could feel him reaching for me in across our blood bond, he did not speak. Instead he nodded at us, Pam, Tara and myself, ‘his women’, like a parent pleased with his children, and headed towards the doors. We fell into step behind him. It was surreal. Eric Northman. Our naked Viking berserker vampire. Victorious indeed.

Someone made sure the doors were open before we arrived and one vampire even presented Pam with her severed arm. She raised an eyebrow but accepted it.

The moment we were clear of the hall the murmuring behind us became a cacophony. The foyer was deserted and we made our way outside without incident. By unspoken agreement Eric picked up Pam and I took Tara and we rose up into the air and disappeared into the night sky.

                


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Old Norse:
> 
> Sváss – beloved  
> ástir – love  
> dýrr – dear  
> Heimskr - foolish

 

*

Eric led us to a mansion in the Garden Quarter, flying down to settle in it's courtyard as if he owned the place.

Which he he apparently did. Pam seemed right at home and started ordering Tara and I around as soon as her feet touched the ground. It was clearly one of his many safe houses, fully stocked with everything a vampire might need. By the time we had Eric in his sleeping chamber whatever crazy berserker Viking buzz he’d been on was well and truly over. He was shaking like newborn kitten and I’m pretty sure once he collapsed on that bed there was no way he would’ve been able to get out of it again.

Four hours remained until dawn. We each gave him some of our blood, even Tara freely offered. Eric refused Pam however, pointedly indicating her missing arm. I knew regrowing limbs was supposedly excruciating for vampires, but I was so glad that it was possible. I couldn’t bear the thought of my maker being maimed for eternity.

We took turns fetching him warmed blood from the fridge full downstairs. He drank and drank and drank.

Despite his frankly terrible condition, we were in good spirits. Only an hour remained until dawn when I asked Pam about the stakes.

For once she seemed indecisive. ‘I’m not sure. Obviously they need to come out, but he’ll probably lose a lot of that blood we just gave him. I’d normally ask him about this sort of thing. He’s more experienced in this sort of area.’

‘Why don’t we then?’ I was actually real eager to hear Eric’s voice. All that yelling didn’t count.

Pam tilted her head. ‘Because Bill cut out his tongue of course. Why do you think he’s been playing charades with us all night?’

I gasped. My anger at bill returned full force. ‘Argh! I wish Bill was alive just so I could kill him again.’

‘Amen sister.’ Pam agreed mildly.

I sighed and returned to Eric’s bedside. He was in ‘downtime’. I figured he wouldn’t mind nodding or shaking his head if I woke him to ask about the stakes. I knelt beside the bed and called his name. ‘Eric.’ I also gently prodded at our bond.

Instantly his eyes snapped open and focused on me. If I’d still been alive I would have blushed at the intensity of that look. ‘Um, we were wondering if we should leave those stakes in or pull em out tonight?’ He blinked. I realised I hadn’t posed it as a yes or no question. ‘Um, so nod if we need to take them out?’

Eric remained motionless. ‘Okay then we’ll leave them in. Tara’s just getting more blood if you wanna wait a second before you go back into your downtime?’

He gave an infinitesimal nod.

I could sense Pam hovering nearby. I wanted to tell him all those things I’d realised when I’d felt him ‘die’, but I wasn’t sure how to begin and if he’d even want to hear and I sure didn’t want Pam or Tara listening in.

I settled on reaching for him in the bond again. ‘I’m so glad you’re alive Eric.’ I was crying. Godammit. I wiped at my eyes and smiled at him. I could hear Tara using the microwave downstairs, she’s be up with more blood any minute. I made to stand.

Eric’s arm shot out and wrapped around my wrist.  I frowned, ‘Do you need more of my blood?’ I’d already given him quite a bit, but I’d happily let him drain me more or less dry. He shook his head ever so slightly. I felt him pulling at me through the bond. He was looking at me like he was trying to communicate with his eyes. I reached out and tried to read him. I could make out some of his thoughts, but they were in an ancient sounding tongue I’d never heard before.

I tilted my head. ‘You don’t think in Swedish.’ I paused. ‘Which makes sense now I think about it, it’s not like Sweden existed a thousand years ago is it.’ I smiled. ‘I’m glad you don’t think in English. It’s bad enough picking up on the occasional thought from Pam and Tara.’

I could tell he was burning to ask me questions. When he’d last seen me I’d been alive after all. Now I was Pam’s child.

Tara appeared with a tray stacked with warmed bags of blood. ‘Ding Ding! Room service for the crazy motherfucking Viking!’

Pam followed her in and we perched around Eric as he drained the bags of donor blood.

‘I wonder what Bill tasted like.’ Tara wondered.

I scoffed dismissively. Three pairs of eyes turned towards me with vampire speed.

Pam smirked ‘Well luckily we have an expert with us.’

I rolled my eyes. ‘Not really since Bill drank Lilith’s blood so he probably tasted real different when Eric drained him.’

Pam nodded. ‘True, however I find myself curious. What did Billy taste like before his brush with greatness?’

I scrunched up my nose. ‘Compared to you and Eric, about as appetising as a trueblood versus one of my cousins.’ I was being honest. I’d had Pam, Eric and Bill’s blood as a human and there was no comparison.

‘Unsurprising, I can’t imagine any child of Lorena’s tasting pleasant.’ She paused, ‘Although I’m not certain I like you comparing my maker and I to _fairies_.’

Tara took that opportunity as ask ‘Sook who the heck is Finly Brigant? The vamps were freaking out when you was talking about them.’

I laughed. ‘Fintan. He was my biological granddaddy.’

‘And he was a faerie, for reals?’ Tara had an eyebrow raised.

‘For reals.’

Eric finished his last bag of blood. I could feel his curiosity and his exhaustion through our bond. I looked down at him. We hadn’t tried to clean his skin. He was already dead so infection wasn’t a problem, and the thought of touching him just seemed too excruciating. Despite the dried blood and scabs, I could see that his skin was already starting to grow back. I was glad. The sooner my Viking had skin again, the sooner I could touch him. I cringed inwardly at the sappy thought. I was glad I couldn’t blush anymore.

Tara voiced my own fears. ‘Should we stay with Eric today Pam?’

Pam raised an eyebrow.

I added my own voice. ‘It does seem a bit off to just leave him here all alone.’

Pam met her maker’s gaze. ‘Well master? It appears my progeny want a sleep over with their granddaddy.’

I snorted and Tara glared at the back of Pam’s head.

I could feel Eric’s slight amusement under his pain and exhaustion.

Pam sighed and looked from Tara to me and back again. ‘Fine. You may rest here. You will ensure that you are not touching any part of Eric’s body before you die for the day however. He’s busy growing back his skin.’ Tara and I both nodded.

Pam stood. ‘Come. We will feed before we rest for the day.’

Tara and I needed no further encouragement. I drank five bags of the delicious donor blood and Tara drank four. I think she’d sneaked a couple when she was fixing Eric’s earlier. I was surprised when Pam drank eight. She usually drank far less than me. Sensing my confusion she indicated her missing arm. ‘I have a little healing of my own to do Sookie.’

I felt like an idiot. ‘Oh. Of course you do. Sorry.’

Tara snorted at my stupidity.

When we returned to Eric’s room he was already dead for the day. His bed was huge. Pam took one side to herself since she didn’t trust Tara and I not to bump her arm, and we slept on the other side. Eric lay motionless in the middle. I spent my last few minutes before dawn staring at his face. Blood and all.

*

Eric did not leave his bed for eight days.

Pam was in a foul mood as she balanced regrowing her arm with trying to sort out the mess that Bill had left of Louisiana. It seemed that the remaining sheriffs were all eager as anything to make it official that Eric was the king but Pam refused to accept the position on her maker’s behalf. Eric had never wanted to be king and she sure as hell didn’t want to answer for it if he woke up one.

She kept our location a secret but conducted business on her phone and started putting Eric’s business ventures back into order.

Tara and I split our time between playing nursemaid to Eric and lackey to Pam. It got old pretty quick, but since we were both unexpectedly alive, we were taking it pretty well.

We all slept beside Eric for the first week but by then Pam and Tara were eager for privacy and I was left baby-sitting him. Not that I minded of course. Eric seemed pleased at my continued presence at his side at least. His skin was back and we’d been able to get him into the shower the day before. He’d seemed delighted at being clean again. He still wasn’t speaking so I assumed he was still regrowing his tongue in much the same way Pam was regrowing her arm.

I joined him an hour before dawn. It was much harder to restrain the urge to touch him now that he you know, looked like his gorgeous self again. We’d had to cut off his hair and the rapidly growing blonde locks he’d grown since then seemed to beg to be touched. I’d thought he was already dead for the day, but he turned to stare at me when I arranged myself beside him. As per Pam’s instructions I made sure not to touch him.

He looked at me for a long time and it got harder and harder not to reach out and touch him. When he shifted his hand and curled his big fingers around mine I felt like I’d been electrocuted. He tilted his head towards mine. His lips parted and I saw him form my name silently. I heard it in his head. My name in Old Norse was still ‘Sookie’.

_‘Eric.’_

He pushed his face towards mine and brushed a kiss onto the top of my head.

I started crying. ‘Wow. You know I think I cry more as a vampire than I did as a human.’

His grip on my fingers tightened as he pulled back to regard me silently. Of its own accord my free hand rose to touch him. It stopped an inch from his face. ‘Can I touch you?’ I was worried his new skin would be too sensitive. He nodded. His skin was softer than I recalled. Cool like polished marble but so soft. I traced my fingertips along the lines of his face, brow, jaw, nose, mesmerised. That last night I’d seen him, when he’d held me and whispered those words in my ear at the Authority compound I’d wanted to touch him like this but hadn’t allowed myself. My fingers traced his mouth. He let my thumb slip inside as I instinctually sort out the shape of his fangs. With a snick they lowered into place. I ran my thumb over the tip, intentionally letting it catch and break my skin. He moaned and sucked eagerly. My fangs descended with an audible click. The noise got his complete attention. Suddenly he was on top of me, braced on an arm beside my head. He was staring at my mouth avidly.

I realised he was curious about _my_ fangs. I shyly parted my lips. Eric ran a finger along my bottom lip before tracing the line of my new fangs. As he did so a bolt of pleasure shot through me and my back arched off the bed as I gasped in surprise. Apparently fangs were an erogenous zone? I looked up at him wide eyed. ‘I didn’t know it felt like that!’

Eric smirked down at me then paid me back with more of my own medicine. He cut his finger on the tip of my fang. I groaned and found myself sucking on his finger like a common fangbanger. He tasted incredible. I told him so.

‘God Eric you taste so good.’

I could feel his desire and his hunger through our bond. We’d barely touched and my panties were soaked.

Wordlessly I tilted my head, offering him my neck. I’d given him my blood almost daily since we got him back, but always from my wrist since Pam and Tara had been in attendance. He didn’t need further invitation. He buried his face in my hair and bit deeply.

I moaned and pushed my hands into his hair pulling him closer. Of their own volution my legs wrapped themselves around his hips.

His bare shoulder was right in front of me. The urge to bite him was almost unbearable. ‘Eric… You need to stop otherwise I’m going to bite you…’ He ignored me and continued pulling at the bite in my neck, each draught seeming to set off answering hot echoes between my thighs and in my fangs.

‘God Eric!’

It was sweet torture. I was barely a week old, how was I supposed to resist 1000 year old blood?! Finally he released me and pulled back. I was panting even though I had no need to breathe. He stared at me with an extremely heated expression. His mouth formed my name again. I focused in on his mind. I heard a thought, carefully and consciously in English. ‘ _I want to feel you take my blood Sookie.’_

I groaned in longing. ‘Yes. God yes Eric.’ In an instant his teeth were back in my neck and he was drinking from me. I didn’t hesitate this time, I kissed and licked the skin of his neck and sunk my fangs into him. The bond exploded as his blood filled my mouth. He tasted _fucking incredible_. I came the moment I swallowed the first mouthful.

I could feel the pull of dawn. I held onto my Viking tightly as I died for the day.

*

In an instant I was completely awake and aware. Waking up wrapped in Eric’s arms was heaven. I could still taste his blood in my mouth. It was as if someone had just pressed pause on me at dawn, I was feeling exactly the same things I’d been feeling before I died for the day. I moaned and shifted restlessly against him.

Eric seemed to be feeling likewise because when my eyes opened he was already on top of me, pressing into me through our clothes and kissing my neck. I groaned, even my newborn’s hunger forgotten. My hips were rocking against his and my fangs were aching to be buried in his flesh again. I wasn’t sure which I wanted more, his blood or his body. Both. My eyes keep closing in pleasure and I had to force them open. I wanted to look at him, I loved that he was alive and whole again.

His hair had grown back over the course of the day. I eagerly buried my hands in it. It was as long as it was the first time I met him. Hanging down a little past his shoulders, that beautiful golden shade you only see on Nordic types. He was so handsome. So perfect. My Eric. I twisted a thick lock of his hair around my fist and tugged so he’d lift his face to me.

He was giving me that look again. The one that seemed to bore straight through me and leave me a quivering mess. My ‘morning’ was already shaping up to be the best of my entire life and unlife when he made it perfect.

‘Sookie.’

My dead heart seemed to beat just for a second, just so it could stop again. His voice, his beautiful voice! He leant forward so his lips were almost brushing mine.

‘…my Sookie.’

Yes yes a thousand yes’s. _His_ Sookie. I opened my mouth to speak, probably just his name, but before I could he pressed his lips to mine.

For a few seconds it was chaste and beautiful, the press of his cool lips on mine, and then he was kissing me properly. He hadn’t kissed me so desperately since that night in his office so long ago.

I remembered his words. ‘ _If I met the true death without even having kissed you, Sookie Stackhouse, that would be my biggest regret_.’

I couldn’t get close enough to him, couldn’t kiss him hard enough. Within moments we were more or less devouring each other, our fangs scraping and scratching and adding blood to the kiss. Kissing as a vampire was different. I could actually taste Eric, not just his blood, but the actual taste of him. It was divine. It seemed my body had forgotten it didn’t need to breathe because I was panting. Each breath I took was heavy with his scent. It reminded me of the sea. He smelt like salt and wind.

It was incredible how much more my heightened senses made me want him. I wanted to rub myself against him like a cat and lick every inch of him. I pulled my mouth from his to start doing just that, kissing and licking along the line of his collar bone. The faint, almost healed marks where I’d bitten him before I’d slept sent a curl of desire through me when I discovered them. I pressed my lips, the flat of my tongue against them. Eric moaned, his hold on me tightening. ‘Sookie, sváss…’ I didn’t know what he was saying and I was certain if I reached into his mind I’d find him thinking in the same ancient sounding tongue.

I let my fangs and teeth scrape against his skin. He groaned and ground his hips against mine. At the feel of him hard against me I got distracted from my ministration and my legs wrapped around him to bring him closer. ’Eric!’ God I wanted him. I bucked my hips against him and suddenly he was growling and tearing at my clothes. He stripped us both with vamp speed and without further hesitation plunged himself into me.

I forgot all about blood and fangs at the feel of him inside me. He felt the same as a remembered, filling me perfectly, impossibly full, but my body felt different around him. It was as if that most sensitive part of me suddenly had a few million extra nerve endings or something. It felt so good it was almost too much. I stared up at him wide eyed in shock. It was like the thing with the fangs. It took me completely by surprise. If sex felt _this good_ as a vampire, how did they ever get out of bed? Eric held himself still for a few moments, he probably didn’t want to overwhelm me, but I could feel his lust through our bond. He was dying to fuck me and bite me. I could feel how difficult it was for him to hold himself back, as it was his hips were grinding against mine in little circles sending jolts of electricity through me. I moaned and his eyes caught mine with that look again. ‘Eric, please…’ I shifted against him, making my desire for him to continue plain.

He didn’t need further invitation. He pulled out of me, pulling a gasp of pleasure out of my body along with him, and then thrust himself back deep inside. He wasn’t even using his vamp speed and I was a complete mess. I came on the third stroke, my body clenching tightly around him. It seemed to go on and on, my body twisting and clawing at him mindless in my pleasure. When I came back to myself Eric had stilled again. He had one hand wrapped around my hips and the other in my hair. He felt like a steel rod within me. His tightly controlled lust burnt me through the bond. I wiggled invitingly beneath him. I wanted him to let go. I was vampire now, he wouldn’t hurt me. I scraped my fangs across his neck just beneath his ear. ‘Eric. I want you to fuck me.’

Well that certainly got his attention. The hand on my hip tightened and then Eric was pounding into me. The massive bed shifted with each thrust as Eric fucked me with abandon. It felt incredible. The friction and pressure from Eric’s vampire speed and strength were doing _wonderful_ things to my body and I instinctually responded in kind. I didn’t feel even remotely human, I felt like a creature created and put on this earth purely to have sex with Eric Northman. It was clearly my sole purpose in existing. I hate to think what my gran would have thought, but the experience was so perfect it was almost religious. _This_ could not have occurred by accident. There had to be a god for anything to feel as good as fucking Eric Northman did. I may have said a few of these things out loud, or at least tried to. I definitely recalled wailing like a dying woman when Eric took me from behind with his teeth buried in my neck.

He seemed extremely pleased by my enthusiasm.

I don’t know much later, but eventually I came to my senses. I was wrapped around Eric with my face buried in his neck. His hair was soft against my face. He smelt divine. He was running a hand up and down my side, petting me like a cat. I didn’t mind at all. I felt utterly content.

‘Eric. Let’s never leave this bed.’

I felt him smile against the top on my head. He pressed a kiss onto my hair. ‘That seems acceptable to me my dýrr sváss.’ I didn’t care that he wasn’t speaking English. It was kinda sexy.

We were silent for a few minutes. It was bliss just being close to Eric. My happiness was an insistent buzzing in my veins. I felt like I’d been handed a miracle. I had a thousand questions but I didn’t want to break the spell between us and speak.

‘Tell me what happened after I left you ástir.’ Eric’s voice was soft and I could sense his apprehension. I wasn’t sure where to begin.

‘We made it back to Bon Temps. Jason dropped me off home and Pam and Tara went to Shreveport.’ I felt tears stinging my eyes. ‘I… felt what Bill did to you. I guess Pam did as well.’

‘Do not think of it sváss. It is over now and I am recovered. What happened after.’ The way Eric could just gloss over days of torture amazed me. I was traumatised and all I’d experienced was a kinda echo of whatever Eric went through. But still, if he didn’t want to talk about it I sure as heck wasn’t going to argue.

‘I thought you were dead.’ I sobbed a bit despite my best efforts. ‘I thought you were dead and it was all my fault Eric!’ I took a great, useless, breath. ‘And I never told you how I felt about you.’ My guilt over that had been eating me alive.

‘You love me.’ It wasn’t a question, but I felt obliged to answer anyway.

‘Yes.’ I tightened my hold around him and buried my face into his shoulder. ‘I love you more than anything Eric Northman.’

I felt his happiness and it was almost enough to pull me out of my guilt at not having told him how I felt before he fought Bill the first time. ‘I knew that you loved me Sookie. The bond between us that we made when I was cursed, it is not like the blood tie you had with Bill, or that with me from Dallas. It allows me to feel your emotions as you feel mine.’ His fingers where tracing little patterns on my back as if he was trying comfort me, as if I’d been the one tortured and nearly killed. ‘Had I met my true death at Bill’s hands, I would not have done so ignorant of your true feelings.’ I sobbed in relief. ‘I felt your love for me, you kept me strong my sváss.’

It was strange hearing Eric talk so sweetly to me. I was reminded of cursed Eric, but there was an underlying strength and confidence in him that was all ‘real’ Eric. I knew every word he said was true.

‘Pam thought you were dead too. Neither of us could feel you. We were both certain you were dead. How is that possible?’ I never wanted to go through that feeling again.

‘I was very weak. Rather than kill me however, Bill elected to drain me completely. It is a difficult process, usually the vampire dies. Without Lilith’s blood I doubt Bill would have had the skill to perform such a feat. A vampires’ life, their magic, is contained within their blood. Drained of it I was held on the precipice of death, an empty shell. That is why you could not sense me. I was not there.’ He paused. ‘I had not felt such a thing since the night Godric turned me.’ He was silent in reflection for a few minutes.

‘So you weren’t… aware? When Bill had you nailed to the wall? You weren’t in pain?’

‘I felt nothing.’

I let out a sigh of the deepest relief. ‘Thank god.’

‘Why did Pam turn you?’ Eric’s voice was strained. His emotions were real complicated on the subject. On the one hand he was _ecstatic_ that I was vampire, but he was also both jealous of Pam and grateful to her, and guilty since he knew I hadn’t wanted to be turned.

I figured I’d just tell it to him straight. ‘I thought you were dead. Bill had had my blood so I knew he’d come for me sooner or later. I couldn’t run from him. Anyone who tried to hide me woulda just ended up dead or worse. I was gonna kill myself. But I was so angry at Bill. I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction. Plus I was scared he’d get to my body in time to turn me. So I went to Pam and she agreed to turn me.’

I could tell he was surprised. ‘You chose to be turned?’

‘Yep.’

‘I am sorry I could not protect you Sookie.’ Eric sounded pretty mournful.

‘Don’t you dare apologise! You did everything you could and in the end it all worked out. We’re both alive and Bill’s dead.’ I had conflicting feelings about my status as a vamp, but things _had_ turned out a heck of a lot better than I’d thought they would when I’d made my choice sitting my bathtub the week before.

‘Actually, we are both _dead_ my lover.’ Yep. Just like that Eric was back to being is usual annoying self. I could actually hear him smirking.

I felt Pam’s presence a moment before I heard her drawl. ‘As much as I am loathe to break up this adorable little _snugglefest_ his _majesty_ has a royal shit storm to deal with.’

I felt Eric’s irritation. ‘I am not pleased with your little display in the throne room Pamela. You know full well I have no desire to be King of Louisiana, and yet you attempted to get every vampire in the state to swear fealty to me.’

‘I didn’t _attempt_ anything. Every vampire in Louisiana _did_ swear fealty to you.’ She smirked. ‘Your _Majesty.’_ Pam gave a sarcastic little curtsey.

I glanced up at Eric. I could see the muscle in his jaw flexing. I didn’t need our blood bond to know he wasn’t happy. ‘Well they can unswear it!’

Pam crossed her arms and glared at Eric. ‘No. You owe me Eric. It’s thanks to me that Sookie’s in that bed beside you and not chained up in Bill’s.’

Eric growled in warning at his child. _‘Pamela.’_

‘You know full well you have to be King. After that display in the hall no one will ever be content with you as a sheriff, how could they be? That strength you’ve kept hidden for centuries is out of the bag. It was bad enough when you were a thousand year old flying Viking. You made Sophie-Anne nervous as hell. Who’d be confident enough to trust you in their kingdom now?’

Eric looked offended. ‘I have never betrayed any monarch I have sworn my fealty to.’

‘That doesn’t matter! You’re too strong! While you were pinned up like a bug Bill was going _on_ and _on_ about Appius’s ‘noble bloodline’ and how powerful he was, then your girlfriend told everyone she was a sky fae and a goddamn _Brigant_ to boot and started shooting fairy sparks everywhere and thenyou came back from the dead and started disintegrating vamps by _yelling_ at them before you proceeded to suck the Lilith right out of Bill.’

‘Are you quite done?’ Eric asked coldly.

Pam pouted like a child. ‘Sookie told everyone your real name.’

Eric turned to look at me sharply.

I glanced between them, ‘Hey! Don’t try and drag me into this. I got no idea about vamp politics.’

‘You told them my name?’ Eric did not sound pleased. At all.

‘I thought we were all gonna die anyway!’ It hadn’t seemed like a big deal at the time. ‘And I said it in Norse so it’s not like anyone really picked up on it.’ I added sulkily.

Pam snorted. ‘Of _course_ they ‘picked up on it’.’

I frowned. ‘Hey! You’re the one that swore your fealty to him with his norse name! I only said it once and I’m sure I said it wrong anyways. If you didn’t wanna draw attention to it you coulda just used Northman.’ Pam’s face didn’t reveal much, but I could see she had been hoping I would have forgotten that little fact.

Eric sighed and pressed a hand to his forehead. ‘They swore fealty to me as Eiríkr?’ He was massaging his temples with his fingers.

Pam nodded. I felt her intentionally not revealing everything however.

‘As Eiríkr _inn Sigrsæli_.’ I felt obliged to clarify. I had a feeling Eric didn’t remember much from that evening. And that fitted with what little I knew about Berserkers, which was admittedly, from movies and comics Jason had read when we were kids.

Eric groaned. _‘Pamela!’_

She huffed. ‘If you didn’t want to be king you shouldn’t have been so goddamn…. Kingly!’ Pam was clearly upset. She was usually much more eloquent. She had a point though.

‘Eric, it’s not Pam’s fault. I don’t know how else that situation could have possibly paid out. I mean, you killed the King of Louisiana, doesn’t that usually mean you take over? The vamps all seemed to think so.’ Eric had his eyes closed. I could tell he was trying to think of some way out for himself. He _really_ didn’t want to be king.

‘Typical. You side with your maker against me.’

I scoffed. ‘Stop being a baby Eric. You know full well this isn’t Pam’s fault. It’s Bill’s. If he hadn’t drunk Lilith’s blood you wouldn’t have had to kill him.’ I frowned. ‘And to think we went back to get him cause we were _worried_ about him.’ I shook my head. How stupid could we be?

‘Yes I spent quite some time in similar ruminations last week. I had grown almost fond of Bill over the last year. I was beginning to have hopes for him one day making a decent vampire. After he suggested the bombing of the Trueblood factories I should have accepted the obvious. _Heimskr.’_

‘What are we gonna do Eric? The way things are going vamps are gonna have to go into hiding again.’ I was actually pretty worried. The situation hadn’t gotten any worse in the time Eric had been recovering, but it sure as hell wasn’t any better. People weren’t sure if Bill was actually dead or what had happened. Vamps were still being hunted down and some were still likewise hunting humans. Someone needed to take control of the situation.

Eric sighed. ‘Yet again I am left cleaning up after incompetent fools.’

Pam cheered. ‘Oh goody. He’s done with his tantrum.’

*

 


	5. Chapter 5

 

Eric spent the rest of the night in his office making calls in a variety of languages. He wasn't in a real good mood. I thought it best to leave well alone and when dawn approached I bedded down in one of the coffins in the cellar. I was worried about the situation, but I was confident that Eric would sort it out. Somehow.

I was awoken from downtime by Eric picking me up. I could feel the pull of dawn strongly and wasn't able to do much more than flop around in useless confusion while my mind tried to wake up. He threw me over his shoulder and started back towards the stairs, ignoring my undignified yelping and high pitched 'Hey!'

'What are you doing down here my lover?' he asked. He sounded tense and I decided to forgive him picking me up like luggage this one time. I belatedly realised that the butt I was staring down at was bare. He was naked. Admittedly it was really nice butt, but sill -the man was utterly shameless. If I'd still been alive I would've blushed crimson.

'I was  _tryin_  to sleep.' I huffed. 'But some big naked Viking seems to wanna make off with me so to speak.' At the conclusion of my little speech Eric tossed me down onto his bed. He made short work of my nightgown and panties before sliding under the covers beside me and pulling me into his arms.

'You are  _mighty_  presumptuous  _your majesty.'_  I said. It took a bit of effort not to laugh.

He pouted. Actually pouted. 'Don't call me that.' He buried his face against my neck and inhaled the scent of my skin. The dawn was tugging at my consciousness, but my body was trying valiantly to stay awake. 'I spent the entire evening placating fools and when I finally escaped to return to my Sookie I find she was not where I left her.'

I laughed. 'What, you expected me just to be laying around in bed naked waiting for you?'

'You expressed a desire to do exactly that when we arose this evening my lover.' Eric said, and well, he had me there.

'Well, it's no fun without company.' I mumbled. I felt Eric's fangs against my throat. I sighed dreamily and pressed myself closer. He scraped them teasingly across my skin without drawing blood. My own fangs descended with a snick. I felt like my body was filled with honey. I shifted, wrapping my legs around him so his gracious plenty was aligned with my suddenly aching centre. He groaned and pressed himself slowly into me, finally drawing my blood as he did so.

My head sank back into the pillows and I sighed in pleasure. He felt incredible. I held off for as long as I could before I sank my teeth into his shoulder. The sensation of having my fangs buried in his flesh as he was buried deep within me had me gasping my pleasure in no time. I felt him follow me in bliss as my body tensed around him, then I drifted off, dead for day.

Eric had begun again almost as soon as my eyes opened for the night. His ability to turn me in a shivering wet mess within seconds certainly hadn't been diminished by my turning. If anything it seemed much more pronounced. And I couldn't get over how  _good_  everything felt. It was very begrudgingly that I consented to leave the bed at all.

We showered and dressed before joining Pam and Tara in the kitchen to feed.

Tara smirked and shot me a knowing look when I made my appearance.

I heated some blood for Eric as he took a seat at the long bar that lined the gleaming kitchen. 'Pamela, Tara.' he greeted them casually.

Tara smiled at Eric but I could see that same teasing light in her eyes. 'Good evening your majesty.' She was grinning at him like he was the funniest thing she'd ever seen. He glanced at me and raised a brow. I handed him his blood and shrugged.

When Tara was still staring at him and grinning a minute later Eric caved. 'What Miss Thornton?'

She raised a hand defensively. 'I'm sorry, it's just hard to reconcile Mr Badass Viking Eric 'tear your head off' Northman with whoever was helping Sookie find religion half an hour ago.'

'Tara!' I gasped, mortified. I hadn't really given thought to vamp hearing and what Tara and Pam might have been listening in to.

Tara laughed gleefully. 'Oh god Eric! Never stop!' she moaned.

…Her impersonation of me was actually pretty accurate.

Luckily for Tara, Eric found her comment amusing. 'Is Pamela not satisfying you?' he asked. 'Did you wish to join us?'

'Eric!' I could tell he wasn't being serious, but still.

Tara rested her chin in her hand as if she was giving his offer serious consideration. 'Hmm…'

Pam appeared with vamp speed at Tara's side. She shot Eric a dark look. 'You already have one of my progeny Eric, if you think I'm going to let you have them  _both_  you are sadly mistaken.'

'Well if you can't please the poor girl I feel obligated to offer my services.' he returned smugly. 'As king it's my duty to see to the needs of the Vampires of Louisiana.'

Pam crossed her arms. 'Thoughtful as your offer is Eric, I assure you, I have not lost my touch.'

She gave Tara a thorough kiss by way of demonstration and I turned away to heat more blood in the microwave. 'Y'all are as bad as each other.' I muttered.

Eric smirked. 'I have it on authority that I am actually very good. In fact I seem to recall something about being put on earth purely to bring you pleasure?'

I gasped in embarrassment. 'Eric Northman! The things a lady says between the sheets are supposed to stay there!'

'What about things said in the shower?' he asked, wiggling his eyebrows at me. He clearly thought he was hilarious.

I rolled my eyes and focused on my glass of blood. I wasn't gonna encourage him.

'Sookie is correct Eric. You should not repeat such things. Besides, there is no need. We heard them all.' Pam smiled her particularly evil toothy smile and pulled her phone out of her pocket. 'And I took notes.'

I choked on my blood. Tara laughed.

* * *

We took another Mercedes. Tara drove and Pam rode shot gun. She spent a great deal of the trip with her hand on Tara's thigh. Eric sat in the back with me. Although he respected my modesty and didn't try to kiss me or anything, we forwent seat belts and I spent the journey curled up in his arms. I couldn't stop touching him.

Eric was tense, but confident.

We met at one of Eric's other houses half an hour's drive outta New Orleans. Apparently it was one he used to host gatherings when such things were necessary, as opposed to a house he actually used for himself. He didn't like other vamps knowing where he slept. Seemed smart to me.

There were an assortment of flashy cars parked in the circular drive and I could sense about twenty vampires within the building.

'Eric,' I said, '-let me try and read them before we go in?'

He nodded and we sat in the car for a minute as I tried to get a handle on the vamps in the house. Only about half of them were thinking in English, and of them only four I could read clearly. Vampire minds were still cold and strange. I was so used to vampires double crossing each other that I was honestly surprised not to sense any of that. But…'They're all scared of you Eric. None of em are plotting anything against you right now that I can tell.'

Pam snorted. 'Good. The last thing we need are idiots working for us.'

We climbed out of the car and I straightened my jacket and tugged at my nice dark jeans. I wasn't cold, I could have worn the skimpiest sun dress if I wanted too, but I was trying to look… Grown up. Capable I guess. Not like a silly blonde baby vamp. Pam led the way towards the big double doors.

I frowned, some stray thought jarring me. 'Wait.'

Pam, Eric and Tara froze and regarded me.

The last vamp I'd read was looking out the window at Pam. His gaze shifted to Tara and then me before settling back on Pam  _/I'll take out Pamela first. Then her black pet. They're stronger than Northman's little barbie/_

I gasped.

_/Without them in the picture Northman won't trust anyone to watch his back/_

Eric and Pam both sensed my anger. I whispered softly so no vampire inside would overhear me. 'There's a guy in there planning to kill Pam, Tara and I. Not tonight but he's definite about it.'

Eric stiffened at my side. 'Locate him when we enter.' he murmured in my ear. 'Inform me as soon as you are certain.'

I was nervous about going in, but Pam and even Tara seemed unperturbed so I straightened my shoulders and followed them through the big double doors.

We crossed a small tiled foyer and passed into a long lounge. It was a nice house and expensively furnished, but it had that "display home" vibe rather than an Eric or Pam vibe.

Silent Vampires filled the room. I held onto Eric's arm and spread my mind over the vampires' minds. They were all impressed that Eric appeared so healed. Pam's new arm attracted interest too, whilst Tara and I were curiosities purely because we were Eric and Pam's.

I didn't pay attention to what Eric said. Instead I sifted through the vampires nearest the windows, looking for the one that wanted Pam, Tara and I dead. In the end it was pretty obvious. He didn't have a very good poker face he was practically glaring at Eric.  _/Infidel. Traitor to our kind. Lilith grant me strength./_ The vamp lifted his hand and pressed a finger to a pendant under his shirt as he thought his little half-prayer.

I had to struggle to keep the distaste from showing on my face. I reached for Eric through our bond. It seemed far stronger than when he'd first awoken. We'd shared blood several times since then however. I mentally pointed at the vampire and tried to indicate the pendant. I was certain it would be sanguinista symbol.

Eric raised my hand to his mouth and pressed a kiss to it before releasing my grip and turning slightly so he was facing the vampire straight on. 'Phillips.' he said.

Every single vampire turned to stare at the man "Phillips". I felt his unease. Eric indicated that he should approach.

He came and bowed to Eric. 'Your Majesty.' he simpered.

Eric stared at him for a long moment and the vampire visibly paled in fear. Suddenly Eric's arm shot out and he was holding a necklace and Phillips was clutching his neck.

'Interesting.' Eric said conversationally.

The closest vampires recognised the pendant as the symbol of Lilith. A few hissed and stepped back. 'I must admit I am surprised you would wear such a mark in my presence Phillips.' Eric continued. 'Given recent events.'

'My liege… an old habit.' Philips said. 'I forgot I was even wearing it.'

Eric tsked. 'I have heard disturbing rumours about you Phillips. Apparently you think to weaken me by kill my progeny.'

I delved deeply into Phillips mind. I heard him panic and start assigning blame. Three other vampires were in on his plan, and one of them, a woman, was in the room with us. I scanned the room and quickly found her standing as far away from Phillips as possible. I indicated her mentally to both Eric and Pam.

Eric shot a look at his child. 'Pam, if you would be so kind?' he asked politely.

An instant later Pam crossed the room at vamp speed and returned with the now horrified vampires in a head lock. She forced her to her knees beside Phillips.

Pam passed another necklace to her maker. 'Master, she is sanguinista too.'

Eric sighed. 'How disappointing. I had hoped to avoid further bloodshed, enough of our kind are dead thanks to this Sanguinista shit.'

Eric disposed of the vampires in what I was beginning to assume was his preferred method of execution. He ripped off their heads. I flinched a little, but in my defence, I was in the "splash zone".

'Pamela, remind me to bring my sword next time.' Eric said, wiping his bloody hands off on his jeans.

Pam was smirking. 'Of course your majesty. I'll make sure it's sharpened.'

Eric stepped around the steaming vamp soup on the carpet and walked into the centre of the room.

'I have summoned you here because you are what remains of the Vampire hierarchy of Louisiana.' he said. 'Some of you served Bill, other's Sophie-Anne. Most of you I have known for decades, some much longer, and all of you swore fealty to me after I killed William Compton.'

I recognised relief from one vampiress. It was the Sheriff of area 2 who I'd listened in on in Bill's throne room. She'd been worried Eric would refuse the crown after all and she'd have to leave the state.

'I will not tolerate further stupidity in my kingdom.' Eric continued, his voice lowering. 'Even if I desired it, we cannot go back to the old ways. The humans have had too long to prepare. There are too many of them and they now know all our secrets. They have spent the last few years developing weapons against us. War would be bloody and pointless.'

I skimmed their thoughts. Most of the vamps seemed to be in agreement with Eric. They had businesses, pets, donors… before this whole mess they'd been respected and feared by their human neighbours. Coming out of the coffin had been a good thing for them. None of them wanted to go back to hiding.

'If you or any vampire in your area wishes to follow the teachings of Lilith fanatically, leave Louisiana or face the true death.' Eric said. 'Once I have dealt with the human government, you will be informed.'

I felt relief from many of the vampires when Eric spoke of "dealing with the human government". It was clear they were just as worried about the situation Bill and Russell Edgington had stirred up as I was. All in all I was relieved with what I'd learnt. It seemed no one was intending to do Eric any harm, and these vamps – the most powerful left in the state, were keen to get back to the status-quo.

Eric didn't hang around to chat. We were back on the road again within minutes.

Our next stop was way scarier than a house full of vampires.

We pulled up in front of a non-descript office building in the middle of New Orleans. The locked doors opened at our approach. There were heavily armed human and were guards posted throughout the foyer. I read from their minds that they were all armed for and trained to deal with vampires. Wooden core bullets and silver vapour gas rounds. I could feel that Eric wasn't too pleased about bringing us in here. The guards meanwhile were a bit put out by Pam, Tara and I. We were all young and pretty and they didn't like the idea of killing us, vamps or not.

We stood silently, ringed by the guards, until an elevator dinged and three men in fancy military uniforms got out.

The man who was obviously in charge stepped forward. He was scared as heck. Sophie-Anne's palace had been raided and the security footage from Bill's occupation seized. He'd seen footage of Eric being tortured and of Eric killing Bill. He was in turns horrified and impressed with him, but very, very, wary. Clever man.

'Good Evening Mr Northman.' He inclined his head politely. 'And your lovely companions of course.' He was scared of us as well. But he was also impressed that I could fly. And he thought Pam was real pretty.

'I'm Lieutenant Colonel Blake.' he said. He didn't bother introducing the two other officers behind him. 'If you'll follow me?'

'By all means Lieutenant Colonel.' Eric's voice sounded super smooth and reasonable. And totally nonchalant. Not at all like he was surrounded by heavily armed men just waiting to let loose on him. He could be so suave when the mood was on him.

We boarded a lift. Eric towered over everyone almost comically. I held his hand and focused on reading everyone's mind, looking for an ambush. I sensed that that there were lots of armed guards who'd been told to kill us if we attacked, but they weren't actively gonna attack us.

The Lieutenant Colonel led us to a large board room. There was a long table and guards lining the wall. There were other men in uniform, politicians, and a few FBI guys. There were seats for us down at one end of the table. Eric took the seat the head of the table, sprawling in it like a Roman emperor… or a calvin klein model. I stopped beside him, standing, and Pam and Tara stood to either side and a little behind us.

'Mr Northman. I am Senator Avery. This is Major General Trant and Agents West and Lee.' He indicated the men in turn. 'I won't waste time with further introductions, but rest assured all those present are eager to seek a peaceful resolution to the situation in our great state of Louisiana.' He glanced at me, then Pam and Tara in interest.

'A pleasure gentlemen.' Eric replied. 'These lovely ladies are my daughter Pamela Sywnford de Beauford,'

Pam smirked and drawled out a 'Charmed.'

'…Her child Tara Thornton,'

Tara jerked her head but offered no further greeting.

'… and my consort Sookie.' I felt a silly burst of happiness and surprise at his unexpected designation.

Avery smiled and inclined his head. The FBI agents were staring at me with great interest. I picked up from their minds that they knew who I was. They were both bummed that I was a vampire.

The senator sat back down. 'Now, It's our understanding that the vampire issue in Louisiana is now under your control?' The man wasn't scared at all. He'd seen the weapons the guards were armed with in use. He was confident we'd all be dead way before we could lay a hand on him.

'That is correct.' Eric returned.

Avery nodded. 'Good. So, I understand you served Queen Sophie-Anne previously to King William?'

'Yes.'

'Apart from a few run-ins with the IRS the Queen was quite accommodating.' Avery was trying to gauge what sort of man Eric was. They wanted someone who would keep the vampires in line and not cause them further headaches. It would be real convenient if Eric could be that someone.

Eric didn't say anything, just regarded the senator evenly.

'Mr Northman, you can understand our, reluctance, to deal with your regime publically until we have some reassurances that you aren't another William Compton in the making.'

'You know I am not or you would not have agreed to this meeting.' Eric glanced at the FBI agents. 'I am sure you have been provided a great deal of information on me already.' He turned back to the senator and smiled almost friendly-like. 'However, if you have any particular concerns, you may ask me and I will attempt to offer these "reassurances" you seek.'

Avery sat back in his chair and regarded Eric seriously. 'What happened to Compton? Was that whole mainstreaming line of his bull from the start?'

'If you wish me to explain the series of events which led Louisiana to this sorry state of affairs, I will require certain assurances of my own.' I restrained the urge to glance at Eric. I had no idea what he was talking about.

'What sort of assurances?' This came from one of the FBI agents. I dipped into his head. He knew all about Eric. And me. And Pam. He even sorta knew about Tara. He also knew way more about the Vampire Authority and the AVL than I thought any human could. He was also humming the national anthem as if that would stop me reading his mind. I wordless communicated the gist of my wool-gathering to Eric.

'It is a dangerous position,' Eric said. '- ruling a vampire kingdom, and one I have never sought. I have substantial holdings in Europe, I am considering a return. The New World begins to tire me.'

Behind me Tara muttered 'fukin'  _Oland…_ ' under her breath and I had to hold in a laugh. Pam hissed at her child softly.

'If I am to stay and keep the vampires of Louisiana under control for you, I would prefer to do so without the inept Vampire Authority breathing down my neck so to speak.' The FBI agent was pretty surprised. He hadn't been expecting that.

'You'd break with the VA?' the agent asked, eyes narrowed suspiciously.

'I care little for the Authority.' Eric proclaimed. Yep. I wholeheartedly agreed. 'You are aware that this entire mess was perpetrated by chancellors of the authority?'

The Senator leant forward. 'We've had wildly differing reports Mr Northman." he said. "I for one would love to hear your version on how this catastrophe came about.'

Eric inclined his head graciously. 'Very well Senator. Sanguinsta's – religious fanatics - infiltrated the Authority. They believe they have a god given right to rule over humanity as they see fit, despite the fact that they were once humans themselves. Needless to say, most vampires are aware of the insanity of such a desire. We are greatly outnumbered and humans can be ingenious. Any attempt to conquer humanity as the Sanguinsta's desire would only end in vampires once more being forced into hiding.'

The humans were hanging onto Eric's every word, and I had to admit I was kinda curious as well.

'The Authority had in its possession some ancient vampire blood, believed to be the blood of Lilith herself, so called progenitor of our kind.' Eric continued. 'I am not convinced of its authenticity, but It was ancient and powerful blood regardless. The chancellors drank this blood, and for lack of a better word went mad. This resulted in Russell Edgington and Steve Newlin's little jaunt to that frat house. With the aid of a few companions, I endeavoured to minimize the damage. Unfortunately the blood had driven Bill quite insane by this point. The creature you saw last week held little resemblance to the vampire he had been previously. I believe you are aware of the events as they then unfolded.'

The senator nodded. 'These sanguinista's, how prevalent are they?'

Eric snorted. 'Very few vampires older than a century share such views.' He paused. 'I have already begun eradicating those that remain in my Kingdom. I will not have my livelihood threatened by imbeciles.'

'What of Russell Edginton?'

'He is dead.'

The FBI agent spoke up again. 'We have been told that before Mr Northman.'

'I assure you Russell has met the true death.' Eric stared down the agent, but I could tell the man didn't believe him.

'It's true! Russell tried to kill me. Again. So Eric killed him.' I blurted. Everyone turned to stare at me. 'Has it rained much the last fortnight or so? It was in a field near Bon Temps. Wouldn't be hard for you fellas to find what's left of him I think. Do some DNA testing on it or something.' Most of the people at the table seemed to believe me. Apparently I was pretty believable for a vampire.

The room was silent for a long moment. 'Is there anything else you wish to ask of me?' Eric asked. It was surreal seeing him being so polite to a room full of breathers.

The senator frowned. He was thinking real fast, trying to decide if he trusted Eric or not and if there was anything else he needed. 'You'll need to give a press conference. Or an interview. Something the news channels can play so we can get this to die down. People need to know that Russell and Bill are dead and that they were fanatics.'

Eric was not pleased with this idea. I squeezed his hand encouragingly. 'Fine.' he ground out then stood, signalling the end of the conference.

'One moment Mr Northman,' one of the FBI guys said. 'I'd like to speak to Miss Stackhouse alone for a moment.' It was the agent called West.

Eric openly glared at the man. 'What could you possibly need to discuss with my woman  _alone_?' I felt another weird bubble of happiness at Eric's possessive proclamation. Mixed with a bit of irritation at his damned high-handedness. Viking.

I placed a hand against Eric's chest to calm him. 'It's okay Eric, I think he just wants to ask how I ended up a vampire. The FBI were keeping an eye on me apparently.'

Eric's eyes glowed menacingly for a few seconds. 'I will be outside.' He led Pam and Tara out. I felt my bond to him and my maker's bond to Pam stretch as they made their way down to the car. The two Agents and the Senator remained with me in the room.

I crossed my arms. 'It wasn't very wise of y'all to talk to a thousand year old Viking's girl like that.' The agents were trying to act like they weren't scared of Eric, but they were. 'Well. Spit it out.'

The senator still wasn't scared of Eric. He was just curious about me.

'You were alive as of 15 days ago Miss Stackhouse, how did you come to be turned?' West asked. The agent had pulled out a tablet to refer to notes or something. Probably a big ol' file on me.

'If y'all were keeping tabs on me you probably knew I was in a bit of a pickle 15 days ago.' I said. 'What with Bill going insane and all. I knew he'd come for me, and he'd be able to find me cause I'd had his blood. So I asked Pam to turn me so he couldn't. It seemed my best bet at the time.'

West looked up in surprise. 'So Pamela Swynford de Beauford is your maker? Not Eric Northman?'

'I just said she was didn't I?' I snarked.

'And you were not changed against your will?'

I narrowed my eyes. 'Were y'all listening at all?'

The agent quickly typed out some notes. I could sense Eric's impatience.

'We done here?' I asked. 'His majesty is getting antsy.'

'Miss Stackhouse, if you so desire we can offer you protection.' West said. 'We have several vampire operatives and your particular skill set would make you an invaluable employee. The Bureau is willing to offer you an extremely generous salary.'

Wow. They actually thought I'd consider that? I delved into their minds a little. The two agents seemed to think that I was 'trapped' with Eric or something. Like some sorta… battered woman deal. I frowned. 'That's real nice of you, but I'm not interested.' I said.

The agents exchanged a look. Apparently they'd been told to try and give me the "hard sell" to get me to consider their offer.

'We are aware of the "compulsion" a vampire's maker holds over their offspring Miss Stackhouse. We are willing to negotiate with Miss Beauford and obtain her release for you.'

I was getting offended. 'I've got no desire to leave my home. So thanks but no thanks.' I glanced at the door, trying to make my impatience obvious.

'You wouldn't have to leave Louisiana Miss Stackhouse.' the agent continued. 'We would be happy to offer you a position based in one of several major cities in the state. New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Metaire, Lafayette... '

Wow they just weren't taking no for an answer.

'I'm  _not_  interested.' I interuptted. 'And you can write that down in your little file as my final answer.'

I caught a full thought from the agent that had been silent during our little interview. _/I wonder what those vamps are holding over her… File said she was pretty adamant that she didn't want to be turned. Northman or Beauford probably glamoured her into thinking it was her choice. What a waste. She's just a dead hole now./_

I gasped in a mixture of shock and disgust and his last thought.  _'_ You are a foul little man Thomas Lee!' His eyes widened at my use of his full name. 'For your information I am immune to vampire glamouring. Pam and Eric aren't holding me prisoner or anything stupid like that.'

Eric could feel my anger and I felt him moving towards me swiftly. There was a crunching noise and suddenly one of the big windows was gone. Eric was hovering outside looking in at the agents with his fangs out, his entire body glowing menacingly. It was windy so high up and his hair and jacket were blowing around all dramatically too.

The senator, like me, was enjoying the drama of the moment, the agents were petrified. One of them had pulled out a pistol that was loaded with silver bullets. Eric growled. 'If you even think about lifting that gun with my lover in the room I'll tear off your head.' He would. I had no doubt.

I shot the agents an angry glare before turning to the senator. 'Nice meeting you Senator. I'm sure you and Eric can sort this mess out.'

I floated vertically till I was level with Eric's face. He gave me a concerned look. 'Sváss. You are well?' he asked.

I smiled and took his hand. 'Let's get out of here.' He nodded and as one we flew out the window.

I felt the senator's giddy happiness. He watched us from the broken window. He'd used to have dreams about being able to fly when he was a little boy. He'd loved comic books. Seeing Eric and I fly had just improved his opinion of us by about a million precent.

Eric and I flew across New Orleans like Peter Pan and Susan off to Neverland. It was beautiful. Since I was dead the cold air didn't bother me, and it seemed like the ability to fly had more or less overruled my fear of heights. The city lights below us looked real pretty. And it was quiet so high up.

Eric led the way, but I could feel us following Pam and Tara in the car. I took the opportunity of real privacy, I was aware that in the house Pam and Tara could eavesdrop on us pretty much everywhere, to talk to Eric. I started off small.

'What's s-vas mean Eric?'

He pulled us to a standstill so we were hovering way above the city and pulled me into his arms so we were embracing. 'It means,' he whispered in my ear. 'beloved.' I felt warm and gooey inside. I was a pretty poor excuse for a vampire. I kissed him gently. I didn't want him getting any ideas. If anyone was game to try sex a few thousand feet in the air, it would be Eric.

I tried to remember the other things he'd called me. 'Aster?' I felt his emotions give a little jump through our bond. 'Ástir' he corrected me. He was giving me that look of his again. 'Love.'

I was getting teary. I smiled and waved my hand to fan my eyes like I'd seen Lafayette do a thousand times. It didn't seem to do much. 'You know, for a Viking you are pretty romantic Eric Northman.'

'Hmm. Do not let it get out, my reputation will be ruined.' He kissed me, sending electricity shooting through my body.

'Mmm Eric. You are such a good kisser. I could kiss you forever.' There I went again. At least Pam wasn't around to hear.

I felt Eric smile against my lips. 'That will be a challenge if you keep interrupting me.' He tried to kiss me again but I was laughing and kissing and laughing doesn't really work. I pulled away from Eric and still giggling headed off towards where I felt my maker. He seemed to take it as an invitation to play tag with me or something. He darted after me and I obligingly squealed and tried to run, or in this case fly, away.

He'd let me elude him for a while, then catch me and kiss me until I could manage to escape and fly off again laughing madly. It took us a good hour to make it back to the Garden Quarter mansion. I flew into the courtyard squealing and laughing and ran inside with as much vamp speed as I could. Eric was right behind me doing a pretty good impersonation of the bogey man coming to eat me or something.

I shot past Pam and Tara in a living room, ignoring their mocking laughter, and made my way upstairs to Eric's bedroom. Incredibly I managed to beat him. I shut the door and bent over, my stomach twisting with my laughter.

I couldn't remember when I'd last laughed so hard. The doorknob rattled ominously. 'Ohhh Sookie… I know you are in there.' At Eric's voice, dramatic and pretend spooky like an old Dracula movie, I lost it again laughing. 'I'm coming to get you Sookie!' The door rocked a little. I wondered if he was going to break it down. I wouldn't have put it past him. With my vamp hearing I heard Pam downstairs.  _'…acting like five year olds. A disgrace to vampires everywhere.'_  Tara was laughing.

'Pamela! I am your King!' Eric's voice boomed with authority but I felt his amusement.

' _Oh no, sounds like somebody's cranky'_  Tara quipped before whispering very loudly to Pam,  _'Might be time for his majesty's nap.'_

'I will deal with your disrespect later woman!' I could hear Eric's smile despite his words. His voice lowered. 'Sooookiee… I'm going to get yoouu.'

He scratched at the door.

It was a good thing I didn't breathe, because I was laughing so hard I probably would have passed out. I backed away from the door. I glanced around the room for a place to hide. I was contemplating the wardrobe when I heart Eric's voice right by my ear. 'Boo!'

His arms shot around me before I could escape. I squealed. He laughed and tumbled us onto the bed before mercilessly tickling me. 'No No! please!' I gasped between gales of laughter. I was terribly ticklish. Eric was laughing like an evil maniac. His eyes were bright with amusement. I'd finally managed to get my giggles under control when he lent forward and blew a raspberry on my stomach.

I shrieked anew, scandalised. 'ERIC!'

He was laughing loudly now, totally undignified but very pleased with himself.

I launched a counter attack. I was amazed to discover that Eric practically jumped he flinched so hard when I wiggled my fingers into his sides.

'Oh my god! Eric! You're ticklish!' I yelled. It was like Christmas had come early.

'I most certainly am not!' he stubbornly insisted.

I poked him in the sides and grinned as he flinched again, 'You most definitely are!' I gave my best evil laugh and attacked him 'The tables have turned Viking!' Eric twisted and wiggled and tried to tickle me back, but I was on a mission. Eventually I managed to dig my fingers into his sides and he  _giggled_.

The image of Eric Northman giggling was enough to send me back into hysterics.

I cried tears of blood and ended up collapsed on him until my laughter calmed.

'I've discovered your Kryptonite Eric.' I whispered. 'You'll have to be real nice to me from now on.'

'I am already "real nice" to you as you put it lover.' He flipped us and smirked down at me. 'Would you like a demonstration?'

I smiled. The muscles around my mouth were starting to ache from smiling so much.

I kissed him.

'A demonstration would be 'real nice''


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Old Norse:
> 
> Sváss – beloved  
> ástir – love  
> dýrr - dear

 

The next evening I woke alone. I felt vampires in the house and came downstairs to find half a dozen of the older vamps we’d met at the meeting house the night before all standing around in the largest living room. Eric was mid-conversation with a tall black-haired vamp so I just nudged him through our bond in greeting and made my way to the kitchen for my ‘breakfast’.

As I sipped on the blood I listened in on the conversation and thoughts in the vampires’ heads. Eric was formalising the sheriff positions. The vampires next door were all pleased. They all seemed to respect or at least fear Eric - which I took to be a good thing. There were a lot of dead vamps in Louisiana and the only sheriff holding over from Bill’s reign was the vampiress from Area 2. She was almost starting to feel like a friend I’d eavesdropped on her so often. The thought made me a little bit guilty.

Something all the vamps were thinking about, some with approval others pretty sceptically, was that Eric had promoted Pam to his old position in Area 5. Two of the vamps thought she was too young, one was jealous because he’d been hoping for Eric’s old stomping ground – Shreveport was apparently pretty rich pickings - and a third didn’t seem to give a shit. The Area 2 vampiress meanwhile was impressed that Eric was entrusting two of his areas to women. Sophie-Anne had only had male sheriffs, and Bill had only begrudgingly given her Area 2 because of her age. I withdrew from the vampire. She seemed decent enough and I didn’t like snooping when there was no need.

I could feel my maker’s pride and pleasure at her appointment. She was in a great mood. Pam was going to make an even more badass sheriff then Eric had. I almost pitied the poor vamps of Shreveport.

A sudden thought occurred to me. Pam was my maker - would I have to accompany her to Shreveport?

I sat worrying for a few minutes until I felt a tug from Eric. It wasn’t like when Pam ‘called’ me, but it was something sorta similar. More of a polite request than a command. I finished my blood and headed out to him.

He looked up and gave me that  _look_  as I entered the room and I was painfully aware of everyone staring at me. I felt like a dorky teenager. Everyone in the room save Tara was at least a century old. Most were several centuries old. I made no effort to see into anyone’s head. I didn’t want to know what they were thinking about me. Eric held out a hand to me and pulled me close, pressing a kiss to my cheek in greeting. There was a tall blonde vampire standing next to him. He was almost as tall as Eric.

‘Sookie.’ Eric said. ‘This is Haakon, newly appointed Sheriff of Area 1 and recent arrival in the beautiful state of Louisiana. Haakon – this is my bonded, Sookie.’ I managed to stop myself reaching out to shake his hand just in time. The big blonde vamp had that frosty ‘very old’ vibe going on.

‘Nice to meet you Haakon.’ I said with a smile. I dipped briefly into his head. He was thinking in some language that was kinda similar to what I heard in Eric’s. I wondered vaguely if they were like, Viking buddies or something.

Haakon took my hand and bowed to me. Actually bowed. Like I was the queen of England or something. ‘The honour is mine Sookie Brigant.’ he said, actually making it sound like he meant it.

I hoovered awkwardly, totally put out by his over-the-top greeting. A part of me wanted to giggle like a schoolgirl and the rest wanted to say _what?_  Eric just smirked. ‘I was fortuitous enough to see you when you faced King William.’ Haakon continued. ‘To see a newborn stand up to him was most amusing. Almost as amusing as watching Eric tear out his throat. You are a credit to your maker.’

‘Well, I must admit I did try and impersonate her a bit when I was talking to Bill.’ I said. ‘My maker has a real way with words.’

‘She certainly does.’ Eric deadpanned.

I glanced up to see Pam smirking at me, listening in on the conversation with glee.

The tall vampiress sheriff of Area 2 that I’d been snooping in on so much made her way to stand beside Haakon. ‘Your majesty,’ she greeted Eric. ‘I would consider it a great honour to be introduced to your bonded.’ She gave me a smile.

‘Of course. Sookie, this is Bridget, Sheriff of Area 2.’ I returned her smile and nodded my head.

‘Nice to meet you Bridget. You were one of Bill’s sheriff’s weren’t you?’ I asked.

She seemed pleased that I remembered her. ‘That’s correct. I’m glad to be serving Eric however.’ I knew enough from my snooping to know that was true. She wanted a strong monarch so she didn’t need to worry about political upheavals messing up her business.

The other four sheriffs, not including Pam, all got introductions. I read them as best I could, figuring Eric would want an update on their trustworthiness. I couldn’t read one of the other men, a black-haired vamp, since he was thinking in what I thought was French. Eric was on his own as far as he and Haakon were concerned.

Maybe an hour later Pam tried to get Eric to change into a suit, but he was having none of it, so the King of Louisiana ended up heading to his first press conference dressed in jeans, a t shirt and a leather jacket. The Sheriffs were accompanying us to act as security, however since Senator Avery had called the Press Conference and Eric would be something of a surprise speaker, we weren’t expecting trouble.

We made our way in a motorcade comprised of the usual assortment of flashy cars vamps favoured. A Mercedes, a Bentley, a Porsche and other more exotic and very expensive looking cars I didn’t recognise. Each Sheriff brought their own car and had their seconds with them, save Pam and Tara who rode with Eric and I.

I could feel Eric’s anxiety. He was not looking forward to facing a room full of reporters. I knew Eric could turn on the charm like nobody’s business, but I still thought it’d be a miracle if he didn’t eat anyone.

The conference was being held at the Ritz-Carlton and I was a little bit in awe of the place from the moment my door was opened for me when we pulled up. The ushers and the valet didn’t even react to the fact that we were vamps, which was saying something considering what had been going on over the last couple of weeks. Eric took my arm and we strolled into the lobby. It was early still, so there were plenty of people milling around. I did my best to ignore their thoughts, many of which were real unkind, as we waited for the rest of the sheriffs to join us.

One of the Senator’s aides and the Lieutenant Colonel from the night before led us to the conference on the second floor. I guess cause it was such a big deal, they’d needed a big room. It was a ballroom and it was pretty packed considering. There were camera crews and photographers everywhere, and the moment they realised a bunch of vampires had strolled into the room they were snapping away like crazy. We ignored them.

A couple of minutes after we arrived the Senator got up and stood behind the podium set up at one end of the ballroom. He patiently waited a minute so that all the cameras that had been pointed at us could be aimed in his direction.

He started off thanking everyone for coming, being all charming and whatnot but he eventually got to the point. He talked about how the situation had been handled and how the criminals responsible for the deaths of many innocents had been brought to justice. He was real vague though. I peeked into his head and saw that he was gonna leave it to Eric to fill in the blanks. Apparently they’d discussed it over the phone and that’s how they’d decided to do it.

He introduced Eric as ‘The Vampire King of Louisiana, Eric Northman.’ Eric’s face was utterly still as usual but I could feel his apprehension. I squeezed his hand before I let it go. Eric strolled up to the podium like a rockstar. He was by far the tallest, handsomest man in the room, dead or alive, and he had quite the effect on the women in the crowd. And didn’t he just know it. I restrained the urge to roll my eyes.

Eric may have hated it, but he sure was good at - as Pam had once put it - ‘mesmerising the vermin’. He told them exactly what they were expecting to hear, calling Russell and Bill extremists, religious fanatics and talking about small minority trying to ‘demonise’ vampires. But then he told them what they’d wanted to hear but hadn’t realised.

Sure people had been talking about imprisoning Russell and Bill, but that wasn’t  _really_  what they wanted. Eric gave it to them. With that one sentence, ‘For their crimes against both vampire and human law, they have been executed.’ The mood in the room shifted. I heard the humans thinking to themselves ‘yeah, they got what they deserved.’ When Eric added that any vampire found to be a member of the sanguinista movement would face the same punishment they were pretty pleased. It wasn’t fair that vampires should face such medieval punishment in comparison to their human neighbours, but it went a long was to reassuring the humans that Eric was telling the truth. When he  _apologised_  for human lives being lost due to a failure of vampire law in Louisiana, they pretty much became his biggest fans.

The highlight of the evening was probably when a reporter asked how Russell and Bill been executed and Eric had nonchalantly responded with ‘I staked Russell and tore out Bill’s throat.’ When they realised that Eric had ‘executed’ Russell and Bill himself, I think a few of them fell in love.

He answered questions for a good half hour, managing not to kill anyone, even when people started asking him things like if he was single and did he colour his hair? He charmed them with the ease of a thousand years spent enthralling people for dinner.

He managed to keep his cool all the way down to the lobby, where we had to wait for the cars to be brought around.

Some of the more persistent reporters were still trying to get a soundbite or short interview. The fact that Eric was holding my hand drew a lot of inquiries. The sheriffs grouped up around Eric and I, but since we were attempting to improve vampire-human relations, they couldn’t do much more than glare at the media. After five minutes he had had enough. ‘Pamela handle this. Sookie and I will meet you at the house.’

Pam sighed. ‘I’m keeping a tab your  _majesty._ You owe me an entire couture wardrobe so far.’

Eric smirked, ‘Well technically you  _are_  a vampire princess now aren’t you? I suppose I’ll have to buy you nicer things.’

Pam’s eyes lit up almost comically. It was obvious she hadn’t thought of it in those terms before.

Tara rolled her eyes. ‘Great. Here we go. Princess Pam.’ She shot a glare at Eric. ‘She gonna make me call her ‘her highness’ now instead of ma’am I hope you realise.’

‘An excellent suggestion my child.’ Pam purred, smiling like the cat that got the cream.

Eric and I attempted to make our way to the door. Reporters and camera men were intentionally getting in the way. I could feel Eric and the sheriffs losing their tempers. There was a lot of internalised swearing going on around me. The last thing we needed was Eric on youtube throwing someone across a hotel foyer or something. I stopped and floated upwards a foot, tugging at Eric’s hand. He smiled. ‘My brilliant Sookie.’ he said. ‘So clever.’

He joined me and we shot upwards to clear the crowd. They went wild of course. Seeing Eric fly did that to a person, I knew from experience. Since the hotel was so fancy, the door was real high so we could just fly straight on out. Eric indicated the exit. ‘Shall we?’ In answer I dropped his hand and shot outside at vamp speed - as fast as I could. I felt him on my tail straight away. Once we were clear of the street and high enough that no one would overhear, I heard him yell out behind me playfully, ‘I’m going to catch you my little fairy!’

*

* * *

 

Only minutes after the sun set the next evening we received visitors.

Being interrupted when he was happily naked in bed with me did not put the king in a good mood. Especially when Pam informed his it was one of the newly appointed chancellors of the Authority. He flounced downstairs with a raging case of sex-hair dressed only in only a pair of jeans.

The house was one of the older ones in the quarter and it had obviously been decorated to sorta match the age of the house. It was a bit at odds with what I knew of Eric’s taste, but it had been lovingly restored (or maybe maintained? Who knew how long Eric had owned it?) and it was really lovely. Nothing like Sophie-Anne’s decorating scheme or the gothic ‘vampire’ style I’d seen in other vamp hangouts. As such Eric’s office was wood panelled, lined with bookshelves and paintings in gilt frames and contained the biggest desk I had ever seen. It was pretty intimidating. A family of six could have comfortably eaten dinner around it.

 Of course Eric chose to receive his guests there instead of in the big lounge with the comfy couches and the paintings of southern pretty belles hanging on the walls. (I’d spent awhile inspecting them one evening and I wasn’t sure if they were human or vampire, one of them looked an awful lot like Pam, save that she was smiling.)

Pam, Tara and I took up position around Eric as we had done in the meeting with the humans. I stood beside him and Pam and Tara on either side.

‘Mr Northman. The Authority has been attempting to confer with you for over a fortnight.’ The vampire who was doing the talking had been turned when he was maybe thirty, had sandy brown hair, and was wearing an expensive suit. All in all he looked like a vampire stock broker.

Eric was lounging in his big chair like a bored teenager. ‘As I am sure the Authority is aware, I have been rather occupied.’ he said. ‘Firstly having my skin slowly removed by Chancellor Compton, then of course, growing it back. Naturally in between those two I had to find time to actually kill the chancellor, so I have been quite busy. I find the entire experience has left me somewhat disillusioned with the VA’

I read the vamp. He was thinking in English, he was probably around Pam’s age. He’d been sent to more or less spy on Eric, to find out his strength and weaknesses in his current position, both politically and physically, and to get him to kow tow to the authority like all good little vampire kings and queens were supposed to. It was all pretty much as Eric had expected.

‘Mr Northman, the Authority is willing to accept you claim to the throne of Louisiana, provided you give them your full cooperation.’ he said.

Eric stilled and shot the Chancellor a glare. ‘I don’t give two shits what the Authority thinks of my  _claim_  to Louisiana.’ he hissed. ‘It is already _mine_. A done deal. After the cluster fuck left by Sophie-Anne, Nan Flanagan and Bill Compton, all co-signed by the Authority I might add, my hand was  _forced_. It was either clean up your fucking mess or cut my losses in Louisiana.’ He paused and sat back, his voice lowering again. ‘And I have been here over a century, I have many investments in the area.’

The guy didn’t look scared, just annoyed. ‘Northman, you won’t last a month without the Authority’s approval.’

‘You are saying I don’t have it?’ Eric asked. ‘That there is some other vampire more suitable for the role?’

I delved into his head. There wasn’t. A few monarchs had expressed interest in expanding their territory to include Louisiana, but Eric was by far the ‘best’ candidate for the job. They just wanted him brought firmly under their control.

The chancellor pursed his lips in irritation. ‘Let me be clear, the Authority isn’t going to try and take you down Northman, but without the backing of the VA, without the threat of reprisal for unlawful take overs, you won’t last. It will be open season down here.’ He was telling the truth. He really thought Eric needed the VA to keep Louisiana.

Eric laughed. A deep belly laugh. It went on for quite a while. ‘You think I need the Authority to keep my crown?’ he said, smiling. ‘You imagine there will be a line of would be usurpers lining up to take me on?’

Again I delved into the chancellor’s head. He was thinking of the monarchs who’d expressed interest. None were anywhere near as old as Eric. In fact with Godric and Russell gone Eric was one of the oldest vampires left in the USA. The chancellor didn’t think any of them would be interested in trying to take Louisiana. I felt a huge wave of relief. I had been half convinced there was another Russell waiting in the wings to ruin everything.

‘Who?’ Eric continued. His voice was serious once more.

The chancellor floundered. ‘It’s not only a matter of age. Many ancient and powerful vampires have met their ends at the hands of much younger rivals.’

Pam’s sarcastic drawl responded. ‘You are talking to the vampire who ended Russell Edgington. Only a fool would take my master on, and fools are easily dealt with.’ From her tone of voice it was clear she would happily deal with him too.

‘Enough.’ Eric’s patience, never a virtue of his, was long gone. ‘Chancellor, we are done here. You may inform your masters that if they do not interfere in my business, I will have no cause to interfere in theirs.’ He indicated the door without standing. I felt the chancellor take offense at being so dismissed.

‘Tara, escort our guests to the door.’ At Pam’s direction Tara shot forward and took the chancellor by the arm.

‘Right this way  _sir_.’ she said sweetly.

Eric tugged my arm and I let him pull me into his lap. I could sense he did it out of a both a desire to be close to me, and to further insult the chancellor. I obligingly wrapped my arms around his neck and snuggled closer to him. His hair was ticklish against my nose, but I liked it longer. I’d never had the chance to play with it when we first met. By the time I was in a position to he’d been wearing it short. I was pulled out of my musings on his hair by Eric kissing me. As always, I forgot about everything but him, even our audience. As such I was a little disorientated when he pulled back and glared over my shoulder.

‘Why is he still here?’

‘Mr Northman, I can understand your anger after the Lilith fiasco, but I do not understand why you would put yourself at risk by denying the Vampire Authority.’ the Chancellor said. ‘I agree that you yourself have little to fear - I doubt many will think to take you on - but your women are young and easy targets.’

Pam short forward, fangs out, but Eric stopped her with a gesture. ‘Sheriff Beauford is hardly a fledging Chancellor, and as for her progeny…’ He tilted his head and regarded Tara. ‘Tara, the Chancellor has worn out his welcome. Remove him from the premises.’

Tara grinned. ‘Yes sir!’

The Chancellor looked down at Tara in confusion. ‘This child is what, a month old? Two? You honestly think…’ The rest of his words were cut off on account of Tara hauling his ass outta the room. I felt his shock at her strength as she dragged him to the front door. His human guards ran off after them.

‘That will keep them wondering. No doubt they had assumed Miss Thornton was weakest of our bloodline.’ Eric sounded almost proud. ‘I would not wish for you or your child encountering any difficulties in Shreveport Pamela.’

Pam was smiling happily. ‘Now they’ll be hard pressed to decide which of us is the soft target.’ she said.

‘Tara will be most helpful to you in your duties as Sheriff.’ Eric said, his voice thoughtful. ‘I almost wish I had turned her myself.’ I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. I didn’t want Eric giving his blood to anyone else.

Tara returned with a big grin on her face. ‘That was fun! Anytime you want someone thrown out on their ass Eric, I’m your girl.’

‘I am sure Pam will be able to provide ample opportunity for you to do so at Fangtasia.’ Eric replied.

Tara’s eyes widened in anticipation. I couldn’t help myself, I snooped a little. She was looking forward to being at the top of the food chain for a change. / _No more bartending and waitressing. I’m the Sheriff’s child and her girlfriend to boot. Not to mention the King’s kinda my vamp grandpappy. He ain’t half bad when you ain’t a breather./_ She met my eyes _/and don’t think I can’t tell when you is reading my mind Sookie Stackhouse./_  I backed away in embarrassment. ‘Sorry T.’ I mumbled.

‘Hmph. I suppose I forgive you.’ she returned.

Pam glared at me. ‘Don’t make me command you not to read our minds Sookie. It’s come in handy in a pinch so far, so I haven’t, but if you don’t control yourself I will.’

Eric’s grip on me tightened. ‘You will do no such thing Pamela.’

Pam crossed her arms and stared him down. ‘Oh it’s okay for you, Mister-I-Think-In-Norse, but the rest of us aren’t so keen on it.’

Eric’s voice was artic cold. ‘You will not compel Sookie in any way Pamela. That is final.’ Ah. It was Pam’s hold over me that Eric hated.

‘Wait Eric, she has a point.’ I said. ‘I mean, it would actually be nice to not have to worry about accidentally reading Pam or Tara. Relaxing in fact.’ I glanced at Pam, ‘And you could undo it in a pinch right?’

She nodded.

Eric was still super tense behind me. ‘Well Eric? Can we try?’

He was silent for a long moment. ‘If it is truly what you wish.’

I shot Pam a wide grin. ‘I’m game.’

‘Sookie, as your maker I command you not to read my or Tara’s minds unless we ask you too.’

I gasped a little as I felt the compulsion within me. It was weird. Not pleasant, but not painful, just, freaky.

Tara was looking at me curiously. ‘Did it work Sook? Try’n read me.’ I did. I tried to delve but I got nothing. I turned my attention to Pam. It was the same. It was like trying to read vamps back when I was human. They were voids. Little black holes.

‘It worked! I can’t read either of you at all!’ I practically bounced in my seat, but seeing as how my seat was the King of Louisiana, I restrained myself.

Pam’s voice broke into my revelry. ‘Sookie, read my mind.’ There was no compulsion, but she’d clearly asked me too. This time when I reached out I could sense her thoughts. She was curious about her hold over me. She quite liked the thought of being able to lord me over Eric to a certain extent. Then all of a sudden I got a glimpse of Pam, Tara and I in bed together. I gasped and scrambled outta her head. Pam was smirking at me evilly. ‘Pam!’ I gasped in embarrassment.

She laughed. ‘Oh Sookie dear, I was just teasing.’ She shot a pouty look at Eric, ‘Eric refuses to share you.’ She paused. ‘He claims he has ‘dibs’.’

I turned to look at Eric. ‘Dibs? You  _actually_  said that? Like I was the last slice of pie?’

He didn’t even have the good grace to look abashed.

*

* * *

 

My unlife seemed to move much faster than my breathing one had. Before I really knew what was happening a month had passed since Eric had killed Bill. The situation in Louisiana had more or less died down, but there was still heaps of anti-vampire stuff around. Far more than when they first came outta the coffin in Louisiana.

But Eric seemed unconcerned. He said a lot of the bad publicity had to do with human political campaigning and would die down once the voting had taken place. His position as King was secure. The Vampire Authority had come to some sorta agreement with him, i.e. they ignored each other. This suited Eric just fine.

Eric had assembled a ‘court’. It was nothing like I remembered Sophie- Anne’s being like. Mostly it was half a dozen vamps he trusted that helped him run the state and made sure no one staked us or anything. He was a pretty hands off king though as far as I could tell. He’d carefully picked his sheriffs, and he was trusting them to do their jobs so he didn’t have to. We were still in the Garden Quarter mansion. I actually really liked it. As far as city living went, it was real nice and I sure as heck didn’t want to ever see Sophie-Anne’s palace ever again.

Eric was already planning on ways to capitalise on his new status. I was sure he’d open a bigger fancier vamp bar in New Orleans. If he could draw a crowd as a Sheriff, he’d draw a zip code as a King. He also talked about a vamp hotel and a casino. He included me a lot in what he was doing. I think he was worried I’d get bored. Truth be told after years of one crisis after another, I was actually enjoying just doing nothing much. I knew I’d find something constructive to do with my time eventually, but for the time being I was treating myself to something of a holiday. A holiday that involved laying around in Eric’s bed naked a lot. It was an exclusive destination.

I decided to accompany Pam and Tara to Shreveport when they left for a week or so. I wanted to see Jason and Sam and the rest of my human friends in Bon Temps. I’d been bad and I hadn’t called anyone. I knew Jason at least would be worried about me, but I just didn’t want to have to explain everything over and over again.

Eric had not been overly pleased with my decision to visit home, but he was aware that I wasn’t quite as delicate as I had been a month and half before seeing as how I was dead now.

Pam, Tara and I drove down in a Mercedes. After we parked I realised it was different to the other two I’d seen. ‘Just where exactly do these cars keep coming from Pam? I mean, there was the silver one, the black one, and now this one?’

‘I have one in each colour so I can coordinate my outfits.’ she replied breezily. I honestly couldn’t tell if she was joking.

The club had been vandalised, but Pam had overseen it’s refurbishment from New Orleans. It looked the same from the outside, but the inside had been given a bit of a face lift. It was definitely more ‘Pam’.

It was still done in over the top vampire style – all black and red - but there were chandeliers now and nicer tables and stools. Like a vampire-dominatrix’s bedroom. Which was pretty much Pam’s public image in a nutshell really.

I left Tara and Pam to ‘enthral the vermin’ and took Eric’s corvette from the garage. I was gonna drive it back to New Orlean’s for him. He was really attached to the ridiculous thing. I think he’d actually missed it, had separation anxiety. He’d spent a good half hour explaining how I was supposed to drive it. I got it more or less. By the time I was half way to Bon Temps I wasn’t even grinding the gears anymore.

It was 10:30 on a Friday night when I pulled into Merlotte’s. Walking through the door as a vampire was surreal. Suddenly it was obvious just how changed I was. I could smell the different types of spilt beer, the oil in the fryer, ( _boy_ did it need changing!), the mix of sweat, perfume and aftershave of the customers, and of course, the people themselves. It was pretty gross actually. I wondered how Jessica had handled it for so long.

Nothing dramatic happened when I walked in. The crowd didn’t go still and turn to stare at me or anything. Compared to the effect Eric had when he walked through the door it was almost disappointing. I guess I just wasn’t as impressive as him. I didn’t draw attention to myself the way he did. Probably cause I wasn’t a 6’4 Viking.

I smelt Sam before I saw him.

He didn’t smell like ‘dog’ as Pam and Eric always said, but he definitely had a sorta wild animal smell. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it certainly didn’t make me want to bite him or anything.

He knew straight off I was dead. He froze and looked at me from across the bar. His face sorta crumpled. And his voice was almost heartbroken sounding when he spoke. ‘Sookie.’

I straightened my shoulders and mustered my inner strength. I didn’t want end up a crying mess. I gave him a big smile. ‘Sam!’ I walked at human speed over to sit at the bar in front of him. ‘I’m so glad you’re okay. Did you and Luna and her little girl get out alright?’

He nodded. ‘Yeah, it was a complete nightmare though.’ I felt him holding something back. He felt guilty. ‘What it is Sam? Whatever you had to do that night to keep them safe, I sure as heck ain’t gonna judge you.’

‘I didn’t  _do_  anything, it’s what I didn’t do.’ I tilted my head in confusion. ‘Eric helped me out that night, and later on when we were running, well, I saw that Bill had him and I didn’t do anything.’

The only anger I felt was directed at Bill. ‘Sam. There wasn’t anything you could’ve done. You just would’ve died, and maybe Luna and her daughter...’

‘Emma.’ Sam supplied.

‘Emma would’ve died too, and I’m sure glad you didn’t.’ It was the honest to god truth. ‘Besides, I left him there too and I owe Eric a hell of a lot more than you do.’

I was trying to keep my shields up, but I could tell Sam was relieved I wasn’t angry at him. I could also feel he was working himself up to pitch a fit over me getting turned though. ‘You want a trueblood Sookie?’

‘Sure. I’ll have AB+ if you have it.’ Trueblood really was pretty terrible, but tt’d give me something to sip at.

Sam disappeared out back to hunt one down for me.

I smelt Arlene as she approached me. She always wore White Diamond by Elizabeth Taylor and with my vamp senses I could have smelt it a mile off. ‘Sookie?’ She sounded nervous and scared half to death.

I turned to her and gave her a little smile. ‘Hey Arlene.’

‘Oh My God Sookie!’ She pressed a hand to her chest like a southern belle with the vapors. ‘I was hoping I was wrong but it’s true! They finally got you! You’re dead! Oh god!’

I wasn’t sure how to react to Arlene’s meltdown. She was attracting a lot of attention. ‘Terry and I saw you on the television with that big blonde vamper, and I said to Terry you was real pale but oh lordy.’ She broke off and took a step back. ‘Please don’t eat me.’

Now everyone had gone quiet and were staring at me. Great. I kept my shields up but they were all thinking so  _loud_  a couple of thoughts got through.  _/always knew she’d get herself turned./ /..and Tara Thornton turned too. That’s three of Merlotte’s girls./ /… fucking vampires, what she expect? One of em of bound to kill her sooner or later./ /oh god I hope she doesn’t eat me./_

I managed to keep my face more or less calm. ‘Arlene, I would  _never_  touch you. You can rest assured I ain’t gonna be biting you,’ I looked pointedly around the bar, ‘or anyone else.’

‘I should motherfucking hope not hooker.’ a familiar voice drawled theatrically. Lafayette had come out of the kitchen to see what the all fuss was about.  After the last time I saw him I wasn’t really expecting him to you know, welcome me with open arms, but I decided to try anyway.

‘Lafayette. It’s good to see you.’ I gave him a smile, no fangs of course.

He raised an eyebrow and looked me over head to toe. ‘Wish I could say the same bitch.’ He pointed a finger at me posing with his usual flair. ‘You is dead.’

I rolled my eyes before replying. ‘Tara sends her love. She’s gonna be living in Shreveport with Pam. She wants you to come visit some time.’

Lafayette looked conflicted at the mention of his cousin, his façade cracking a little.

Sam returned and plonked my trueblood down on the bar. ‘Here you go Sook.’

I smiled. ‘Thanks Sam.’ I made a show of taking a sip and pretending to enjoy it. Comparing it to donor blood was like comparing tofu to icecream. Comparing it to Eric’s blood it seemed more like dirt. Still I sipped gamely. Besides, I didn’t want to get hungry. I hadn’t had any problems so far, but that was most likely cause I hadn’t been hungry around humans much and they weren’t that appetizing compared to Eric.

Lafayette and Arlene had both vanished. I could smell them out back, avoiding me I guessed. Well, that was their right. Sam was busy for a few minutes pouring drinks, but then he came back to me. ‘So, you wanna tell me how it is you’ve lost your pulse and gained fangs Sook?’ I could tell he was trying to be diplomatic about it, but I knew he wasn’t gonna like my explanation, that it was my choice.

I knew the other folks were listening in, but I didn’t much care to be honest. It was clear I wasn’t gonna be welcome in Bon Temps anymore, so what did it matter what people thought of me?

‘When Eric was cursed we made what vamps call a blood bond. It meant I could feel him a bit, in my mind.’

Sam frowned. ‘Eric gave you blood in an exchange?’

‘Yep.’

‘That’s pretty unusual.” he replied slowly. ‘In fact it’s really unusual. Vamps don’t form blood bonds with just anyone.’

I shrugged. ‘He had amnesia and was hopelessly in love with me at the time.’

Sam raised an eyebrow. ‘Well I guess that explains that.’

‘So after we got away from Bill, I felt things. From Eric. What Bill was doing to him.’ It was a struggle to keep my voice calm and my face smooth. My memories of Eric’s agony, my hopelessness, were still real fresh. ‘On the third day, he was gone. I’d gotten used to feeling a little bit of him in my mind, and it was gone. I was certain he was dead.’ I sipped at my foul trueblood and tried to maintain my composure. Sam reached across the bar and squeezed my hand. That simple gesture bought me more comfort that I can say. ‘I went to Pam. She was a mess. She thought that Eric was dead too, we were both certain. I knew then I was living on borrowed time. Bill was insane. Well, he wasn’t really Bill anymore. And he’d had my blood…’

‘So he could track you down whenever he felt like it.’ Same concluded.

I nodded. ‘Yep. So I asked Pam to turn me. She didn’t want to. She only did it cause she knew Eric would have wanted her to help me.’

Sam frowned. ‘Why didn’t you come to me chere? Or Jason? Or that werewolf, Alcide even? We would’ve protected you.’

‘I know.’ I agreed. ‘You would have tried to protect me. And you would have died, just like Tara did.’

‘You don’t know that Sookie!’ Sam exclaimed. ‘Bill was just a vampire in the end, we could have gotten him during the day or something.’

‘I couldn’t Sam. I couldn’t let anyone else die for me.’ Sam didn’t respond. He looked mad as hell. ‘You know I’m right Sam.’

He pursed his lips. ‘Fine, let’s just ignore the whole you getting turned thing for now. Finish your story.’

‘Bill caught us, Tara, Pam and I. He was real angry that he wouldn’t have the chance to drain me and turn me himself. He kept us silvered for a few nights then dragged us out in front of pretty much ever vamp in Louisiana to make an example of us or something. Pam and Tara fought him, but with Lilith’s blood in him it was like he was 3000. He was so strong, we didn’t have a chance.’ A few people had sidled up to the bar to listen in, pretending to be looking at the flatscreen . I ignored them. ‘Eric wasn’t dead. Bill had drained him. Apparently it was a popular form of torture a few thousand years ago. He was so weakened that Pam and I didn’t even recognise him for a while. Bill had flayed him and chained him in silver and then nailed him to the wall above his throne.’ I tried not to remember what he’d looked like up there.

Sam’s eyes widened and I heard a few gasps from my not so subtle crowd of hangers-on.

‘I managed to free him and gave him some of my blood. Bill tore off one of Pam’s arms and tried to get at me. I figured we were all gonna die anyway, despite Eric being alive, I didn’t see how he’d be much use to anyone in his current condition. Except, well,’ I paused wondering how best to explain what happened next. ‘…you know how Eric’s a Viking?’ Sam nodded. ‘Well turns out he was, like, a beserker or something. When Bill hurt Pam and tried to hurt me, Eric went on a serious rampage. He tore maybe a dozen vamps apart with his bare hands, and then Pam gave him his sword. Lilith’s blood or not, Bill didn’t stand a chance after that. Eric disembowelled him then tore out his throat.’

Sam looked a bit excited, like he was sorry he’d missed the fight. ‘So that’s how he ended up king.’

I nodded. ‘Pam knelt down and swore fealty to him, and all the other vamps in the room were real eager to do the same.’ I smiled a little. ‘Eric was  _so_  pissed when he woke up and found out he was vampire king of Louisiana.’

Sam took my empty glass. ‘Well, I can’t say I’m pleased that you’re a vampire, but I am glad Bill was dealt with. You know that two faced bastard tried to drain me?  _Before_  he drank the Lilith blood stuff?’ Sam shook his head.

Before I could reply I smelt Jason. It was weird smelling my own brother like, well, food. He was in his uniform and from the way he burst into the room and looked around, I could tell someone had called him about me.

‘Jason.’ I stood and he walked over to me. He looked me over in disbelief and horror.

‘Oh no sooks.’

I didn’t feel like doing this with an audience, so I linked my arm through his and steered him towards the door. ‘Let’s get some air and talk outside okay?’

Jason mutely let me led him down into the carpark. I wasn’t sure where to start. ‘Jase, I’m sorry I didn’t come see you sooner, but to be honest I was scared of what you’d say. You’re all the family I have left.’

‘Oh Sook. Ma and dad were right. They warned me, told me I had to protect you from them vampers but I left you on your own. This is my fault.’ Jason was looking at me oddly. Wild eyed. On the verge of tears. I remembered his odd behaviour the last night I saw him.

‘Mom and dad Jason?’ I asked.

‘Which one was it? Who killed you Sookie? I’ll stake the fucking bloodsucker for this!’ I stepped back.

‘It was my choice Jason, so don’t you go threatening to stake anyone you hear?’ Jason turned to the side as if he was looking at something. I could only see thin air. ‘Jason?’

He looked over my shoulder. This time when I turned I could see what he was looking at. Eric’s corvette. ‘It was that fucking Eric wasn’t it?’ he growled.

‘No, it wasn’t actually.’ I took Jason’s hand. He flinched.

‘You’re cold sookie.’ There were tears in his eyes. ‘You’re dead. My baby sister’s dead. You ain’t Sookie no more. You’re a vampire, just like the one that killed our parents.’ He stepped back from me. I felt like my heart was breaking at his words. ‘You’re wearing my sister’s face, but you ain’t her. She’s gone.’

‘Jason! I’m still me!’ I said. ‘How can you say these things?’ I was crying. Jason stared at my bloody tears in revulsion.

‘You ain’t her! You ain’t Sookie no more!’

I stepped towards him, reaching out with hands. He darted backwards and pulled his gun on me. I stared at it dumbfounded. My own brother was pointing a gun at me.

‘This here is loaded with wooden bullets. You come near me I’ll kill you.’ I delved into his mind. He wasn’t bluffing. He really seemed to believe all that crap about me not being myself anymore. His mind felt fuzzy, as if he’d been glamoured.

‘Jason! Please! Listen to me!’

He fired the gun. My vamp reflexes saved my life. Before I knew what I was doing I’d shot way up in the air. Below me Jason was looking around the carpark for me. I stayed where I was until he got in his cruiser and left. I was crying like a child. My last living relative had tried to kill me. My own brother. I could feel both Pam and Eric’s concern from our respective bonds. I pulled out my phone and quickly tapped out a message saying I was fine. The last thing I wanted was for my maker or my boyfriend to feel obligated to come rescue me.

I drove to my house without saying goodbye to Sam.

I walked through the old farmhouse feeling like a ghost in my own home. I sat on my bed. It didn’t feel like mine anymore. I slept in the cubby. It hadn’t been used in ages. I could still faintly smell Eric in the bedding. He’d slept, bleed and burnt in the little room when he was cursed. I curled up died for day comforted by the memory of his presence.

 

                                        

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Old Norse:  
> Sváss – beloved  
> ástir – love  
> dýrr - dear

 

 

I awoke and drank trueblood. I picked up a few mementos from the house. A photo album, a few pieces of gran’s jewellery and some clothes. I wrapped up the silver bullet that had lived in my dresser drawer for so long in a hanky and put it in the little box of keepsakes I was taking.

I put my things in Eric’s car and went for a walk around the woods, visiting all my favourite places as I made my way towards the graveyard. I stopped at gran’s grave. I didn’t throw myself in the dirt like I’d done once before, I just stood staring.

‘Gran. I miss you. I hope... I hope you ain’t disappointed with me, wherever you are.’ I’d changed when I’d become a vampire, but my love for my gran hadn’t. That same old deep aching sadness filled me as I thought of her. She would have understood, not like Jason. And she’d have been able to fix things between us, I was sure. Gran had always known just how to deal with us Stackhouses, from when we were kids fighting in the yard to teenagers sulking.

‘I wish you were here gran, so bad.’ I said. Blood welled in my eyes and I let myself cry a little until I felt calmer. I pressed my fingers to the rough stone of her tombstone and silently bid her farewell. I’d come back at visit, I knew, but maybe not for a long time.

I didn’t walk back to the house, I flew. The old Sookie Stackhouse would have walked even if she could fly, she’d always been trying to fit in. But that Sookie Stackhouse was dead. In a way my brother was right, I was a different person. So I flew, because I could. I changed into clean clothes since I’d cried blood all over mine.

I locked up and left my keys on the kitchen table. I felt a weight lift off my shoulders as I walked down the front steps for maybe the last time. It was with a weird mix of excitement and sadness that I pulled outta the drive in Eric’s ridiculous corvette. I looked out the window once, long and hard, memorising the house I’d lived in so long, then I put my foot down and didn’t look back.

I drove to Shreveport at break neck vampire speed just because I could. Well, I drove sedately enough when there were cars around - I didn’t wanna cause an accident - but I floored it on the deserted stretches and let myself enjoy the giddy rush of it.

Fangtasia was open for business. I parked Eric’s corvette right in front. I didn’t go round back and try to be inconspicuous. I hopped out and strolled over to the door like I owned the place. I wasn’t dressed particularly ‘vampy’, just one of my nicer summer dresses and a pretty pair of sandals, but the little crowd of people waiting by the door stared at me like I was real exotic, so obviously I looked the part.

Tara was on the door. She raised a brow when I stopped before her. ‘Darling sister _._ ’ she deadpanned.

I rolled my eyes. She was sounding more and more like our maker.

‘Hey T.’ I replied.

My eyes slid over her, taking her in. She was also dressed a lot like Pam. An over the top outfit that was super tight and screamed ‘vamp!’. It was less girly then the stuff Pam wore but breathing Tara wouldn’t have touched the ensemble with a ten foot pole. It actually kinda suited her.

‘Her highness will be thrilled to have you back so soon.’ she continued. The humans waiting to be let in were real intrigued by our conversation now, I could feel their thoughts buzzing curiously. The whole vampire royalty thing had only really come out with Bill’s demise and they found it fascinating.

I smirked. ‘She’s actually making you call her that?’

Tara snorted. ‘Well, it’s better than Princess Pamela.’ She waved me in.

The first thing I looked at when I entered the reopened bar was my maker. Pam had made sure of that. She looked every inch a Vampire Princess sitting on Eric’s throne in a spectacular red dress. It clung to her curves in all the right places and combined with her waves of golden hair and the diamonds she was wearing, well, the vermin were well and truly ‘enthralled’. The fact that she was more or less sitting under a spotlight while the rest of the bar was dim probably helped a little though.

I was surprised. The bar was busy. I’d thought business would have been really slow what with all the anti-vampire stuff going on at the moment, but apparently not. I recognised a few of the vamps in the place, but no one I knew personally.

Pam had felt my presence of course, and let me know through our bond that I should approach her. I did so, bowing my head respectfully.

‘Your highness, you look devastating this evening.’ I said, managing to keep my voice serious and my face straight. I felt her delight at both my compliment and use of the title, even though she knew I was only really using it for the benefit of the humans hanging around.

‘Sookie darling.’ she drawled. ‘Sit with your maker.’ I took one of the smaller seats beside her throne. ‘You were troubled last night, and again this evening.’ she said and even though her voice was cool, I felt her mild concern through our bond.

For my maker, even saying that much counted as a pretty heartfelt declaration. ‘My brother.’ I sighed. ‘I was hoping I’d be able to find some sort of balance between my old life and my new one, but it’s plain now that’s not gonna happen.’

Pam’s eyes snapped to mine, her attention focusing laser-like upon me. ‘Your human friends and family did not accept you?’

‘I think Sam was… okay with it. But otherwise, no, they didn’t really.’ I admitted.

Pam narrowed her eyes. ‘Then they are fools. You were amusing enough as a human - although _painfully_ annoying at times - but you’re far more entertaining as my child.’ She smiled, fangs out. ‘Both of my progeny are impressive. Tara’s strength and your microwave fingers, not to mention your _flying_ ,’ she glared at me at that, ‘… are the talk of the vampires of Louisiana.’ Clearly she was enjoying being known to have sired powerful vampires. Which was all nice enough for her, and yeah, I was lucky I guessed to have awoken with such rare powers, but vamp or fairy magic wasn’t something that was gonna impress my friends back home. Only scare them.

Pam was silent for a moment as she perused her domain. I sat beside her glumly. ‘You are vampire Sookie,’ she said after a few minutes, her voice careful, as if she’d actually put a bit of thought into what she was saying. ‘- of an ancient and powerful line, loved by Eric to  _nauseating_  degree and full of  _potential_. Leave your human sorrows with your human life. In Bon Temps. Make your new life whatever you want it to be.’

I stared at my maker in amazement. ‘Pamela Swynford de Beauford,’ I said. It was the first time I’d ever used her full name. It suited her. It sounded bitchy. ‘That was one of the most thoughtful things anyone’s ever said to me.’ She shot me an acidic glare, all trace of that motherly concern of her’s evaporating instantly. I smiled back at her widely. ‘I’m glad you’re my maker.’ I told her, letting her feel the honesty of my words through our bond. She pretended to be repulsed by my softness, but I could tell she really liked it. My maker was a lot softer than she let on.

She sniffed and waved a hand dismissively. ‘Enough of this emotional shit Sookie. We’re _vampires_.’ She straightened in her chair. ‘Act it.’

I spent the rest of the night splitting my time between Tara and Pam. Pam liked having me sit with so she could show me off to the other vamps, and Tara was in a better mood than she’d been in months. It was like having the Tara of a year or two back. Before any vampire or maenad shit. She was in her element managing the bar and working the door. The human employees were enthralled by her. She terrified them, but sorta transfixed them as well. She really was taking all Pam was teaching her and rolling with it. For someone who’d wanted to meet the sun when she first awoke, she seemed to be making a pretty impressive vamp. I followed her around chatting and helping her out by scanning the humans for underage drinkers and trouble makers. I found three teenagers with fake IDs. Nothing more sinister though.

We were having a trueblood at the bar about an hour before closing when the only big incident of the night occurred. Tara was talking about having her hair relaxed - Pam’s glamour really _was_ rubbing off onto my formerly extremely casually styled friend, I couldn’t imagine vamp Tara in cut offs and sneakers – when I felt it. I could sense six vamps apart from me and Tara in the room, and two of them were Pam’s employees. I got a flash of something like anger from one of them so I zoomed in. I realised straight away that is was bloodlust.

He was feeding.

I turned and stared at the booth were I felt him. He was feeding off a pretty girl probably my age or a bit younger. I didn’t particularly care, but the fact that he was doing it in public, in  _my_  maker’s bar, in the midst of an anti-vampire crisis, I did care about. I managed to restrain the urge to zap over there and slap him around, but only since I didn’t want people to realise what was happening since that would be bad for Pam’s business. I zeroed in on the girl. Her thoughts were glassy, she was heavily glamoured. And there was something else, a sorta weird echo in her head, a giddiness? It was almost familiar. Suddenly I recognised it. It was the feeling I’d felt when Bill had drained me. The girl was dying. I shot across the room at vamp speed. Tara was at my side a split second later.

I grabbed the vamp’s shoulder but he was a few decades old at least, I was more or less a newborn. I couldn’t budge him.

‘The fuck you think you doing?!’ Tara growled as she dragged the vamp off the girl and held him up by his throat. He was a handsome guy, a few empty compliments and he would’ve had his pick of willing donors without needing to glamour anyone. I left him for Tara to handle and pulled the girl into my arms, pressing a palm to her neck to stop the bleeding. The smell of her blood was overwhelming, but she was so weak that my pity for her helped me restrain my hunger. She was floppy like a drunk and more or less unconscious. I could feel her heart stuttering. She needed vampire blood or a transfusion in a hospital. Pam and the other vamps had congregated on the booth. I sought out my maker’s eyes looking for guidance.

‘Sookie.’ she said. ‘Take the girl to my office and see to her injury.’ I nodded and carefully lifted the girl into my arms, heading upstairs human speed so not as to jostle her. Pam’s voice hardened as she continued. ‘Tara. Silver that fool in the basement. I will deal with him later.’

I didn’t hear what happened after that, cause I was focussed on the dying girl. The office was totally different, very feminine, but there was still a couch, (a fancy french looking thing that didn’t look all that comfortable), so I carefully put the girl down on it. I spent maybe thirty seconds weighing my options. I didn’t particularly want to give her my blood, make a blood tie with her, but I knew there was a good chance she’d be dead before an ambulance could get to her, and that was the last thing anyone needed. Bad for us vamps, and obviously, real bad for the poor girl. She’d been glamoured, for all I knew she wasn’t even a willing donor.

I tilted her head back and bit my wrist. I positioned it so a steady flow of my blood dripped into her mouth. After maybe a minute she sorta rallied and her eyes opened. She sucked at my wrist a few times, seeming to be enjoying my blood, and I must admit it wasn’t completely unpleasant. I could sorta feel it working its way into her bloodstream, changing her slightly, making her stronger. Mostly feeling someone fed off my blood just made me miss Eric though.

I tried to get her attention. ‘Sweetie?’ The girl’s grip was quite strong on my arm, her heart beat steady once more. She’d had enough. ‘Okay that’s enough.’ I told her and pulled by arm away. She followed it with her eyes like a starving man staring at a roast dinner. ‘How are you feeling?’ I asked.

I was sitting a fair distance from her along the couch, I knew how it was to wake up after a near death experience surrounded by vamps. Her eyes widened as she took me in, her fingers coming away from her lips bloody.

I answered the question in her mind. ‘A vampire glamoured you and took way too much of your blood. I’m sorry but I had to give you some of mine or you would have died.’

She frowned. I delved into her head, her memories were foggy. She’d been glamoured on and off all night it seemed. ‘Where am I?’ she asked, looking around in fear.

‘This is Sheriff Beauford’s office.’ I said, dropping Pam’s title in an attempt to reassure her. ‘You’re at Fangtasia.’

‘Fangtasia? The vamp bar?’ she asked in confusion, her fear growing. I nodded. ‘But I was at the Ultra Lounge with my friends…’ I assumed she was talking about a ‘normal’ bar in town.  I sighed. She hadn’t even wanted to come here, let alone be donor.

‘Do you have your phone on you? Is there someone I can call to come get you?’ I asked, doing my best not to scare her anymore than she already was. Pam ruined the effect however when she burst in a vamp speed. In her red dress and her diamonds she looked like the world’s angriest lounge singer. Her fangs were out. The girl gave a little scream and half crawled up the back of the couch. Pam stared at her for a long moment, nostrils flaring, before turning to me. ‘You gave her your blood?’

‘I was worried she’d die before an ambulance got here.’ I explained. ‘He almost drained her.’

Pam pursed her lips but nodded. ‘You, girl.’ she said with all her usual warmth. ‘Did that vampire have your permission to feed from you?’

The girl looked like she might wet her pants. ‘Um, no ma’am.’ she mumbled. ‘That is, I don’t remember.’ She looked to me as if for guidance. ‘Last thing I remember I was at bar with my friends.’

‘He kept her glamoured all night.’ I agreed. ‘I think he more or less kidnapped her.’

Pam looked pissed. ‘How  _dare_  he bring this kind of bullshit to my place of business!’ Pam paced for a moment.

I gave the girl an encouraging smile. ‘Don’t worry, no one’s gonna hurt you.’ She didn’t look convinced.

‘Bring the human downstairs. I will deal with her attacker now.’ Pam was gone in an instant.

‘What’s gonna happen?’ the cringing girl asked. She was crying a little, tears smudging her makeup.

‘Well, Pam’s the vampire Sheriff of this area.’ I said gently. ‘It’s her job to make sure the vamps round her follow vampire law, and that means no hurting humans, no taking their blood without permission.’ She looked slightly reassured by my words so I continued. ‘That guy that bit you broke a bunch of vamp rules. The Sheriff’s gonna punish him, and then I’ll make sure you get home safe okay?’ The girl nodded and let me pull her to her feet.

The bar was empty save for vampires. They’d all stayed for the show so to speak. Pam was in her throne looking almost bored. It was an act, I could feel how epically _pissed_  she was. Tara stood behind her shoulder like a good lieutenant. The vampire who’d bitten the girl was silvered and smoking on the floor in front of her feet. The other vamps were lounging around watching.

The girl was horrified, not only of her attacker, but of the vamps all staring at her. I gave her hand a squeeze in reassurance and let her cower beside me.

Pam broke the silence. ‘Tobias Milford. You are charged with breaking vampire law. You fed upon an unwilling human. You fed in public. You would have drained the human dry if not for the interference of my progeny. These crimes were witnessed by our own kind. Do you have anything you wish to say before I pass judgement?’

‘I wasn’t going to drain her!’ the vampire – Tobias - insisted. ‘She was fine. I glamoured her and she would have remembered nothing.’

Tara shot over to the vampire and backhanded him. He flew several feet at the strength of her blow. ‘You will address my maker as Sheriff Beauford.’ she hissed.

The vampire rolled back up to his knees. He was glaring at Tara. ‘You dare strike me? A mere fledgling?’ Pam raised an eyebrow at that. The vamp was in no position to be arguing.

‘My child Tara has already subdued you once this evening Mr Milford.’ Pam said. ‘Shut up or I will give you to her to play with.’ She turned to face Tara. ‘What of his maker?’

‘Unknown.’ Tara replied. ‘He’s only been in state for about a year, and Area 5 a few months.’

‘Who is your maker Mr Milford?’ Pam asked. The vamp was stubbornly silent, just glaring at Pam. ‘I suggest you speak. You’re maker is your only hope of avoiding the true death.’

The vampire struggled against his chains. ‘The true death!? For biting a human? That is not the law! You say you are Sheriff and yet you would see me dead for a mere trifle! You are not worthy to sit in judgement of me, you are barely older than I and you need newborns to do your bidding!’

‘SILENCE.’ Pam roared. And I don’t mean figuratively. I mean she used her special party trick and everyone standing in front of her was suddenly on their knees as if a small gale had passed through the bar. A bunch of tables and chairs were knocked over and the bottles behind the bar rattled ominously. Beside me the girl jumped and cringed into my side, her hands locked tight around my arm. I was glad we were standing to the side and had avoided the brunt of Pam’s rage.

Tara was grinning proudly. Pam looked radiantly pissed. Like a queen. ‘I’m fucking  _royalty_ Mr Milford. Newborn or not, the vampires of my bloodline have power you wouldn’t even comprehend.’ She shot me a look. ‘Sookie. Teach Mr Milford some respect for his betters.’ I guessed she wanted me to zap him. I let go of the girl’s hand and stepped forward a little bit. I let fly.

Milford writhed on the ground and my light burnt him like lightening. I felt a bit like the emperor in star wars or something. I must admit that vampire sookie found zapping people way more enjoyable than human sookie ever had. At Pam’s signal I stopped and returned to my spot beside the human girl, who was staring at me in horrified awe. The assembled vamps were also regarding me with great interest. My faerie light tended to impress even vamps.

Pam spoke almost sweetly. ‘Tara could snap you like a twig. Sookie could light you up like a fucking Christmas tree. And I don’t even have to lift a finger to bring you to your knees.’ She paused her voice dropping. ‘So answer the fucking question. _Who is your maker?’_

Milford was sorta,  _smoking_  and he didn’t get back up onto his knees. He mumbled something.

‘Mitchell De Blanc.’ One of the spectator vamps repeated for Pam’s benefit.

Pam nodded, apparently recognising the name or something. ‘Tobias Milford, in the name of King Eric of Louisiana and in accordance to Vampire Law I sentence you to the true death.’ She paused. ‘Since you have expressed such fondness for my child Tara, I will allow her to do the honours.’

Tara grinned. ‘With pleasure.’ She didn’t use a stake, it seemed Tara had inherited Eric’s fondness for ripping vamps apart with her bare hands. She flashed forward and ripped Tobias Milford’s head off. For a few seconds she held his shocked face in her hands, and then he disintegrated into goo. Tara grinned, unconcerned at the vamp slime all over her.

The girl fainted.

We all looked at her.

Pam sighed. ‘Humans. Glamour her and get her out of here Sookie.’

‘Yes ma’am.’ I replied.

I fished through the girl’s handbag and found her address on her ID. I called her a cab. While I waited I used a drop of my blood to heal the messy bite marks Tobias had left on her. I then roused her and glamoured her. I hadn’t had much practice, so I keep it simple. She’d drunk a lot of cocktails at the bar then got separated from her friends before deciding to head home.  The taxi driver looked at me suspiciously when I helped her into the cab, but I handed him a few hundred dollar bills from the till and told him to make sure she got home safe. His greed won out over curiosity.

I walked back inside, eager for a shower, some blood and rest. The vampires who’d hung around to watch Pam’s judgement all regarded me silently and with great interest. I hesitated a little. One of them zapped over to my side. Even though I was vamp myself, it still startled me a little though I managed to hide it.

‘Miss Sookie.’ he said. ‘It is truly a pleasure to meet you. I am Michael.’ The vamp gave a little bow over my hand.

‘Nice to meet you Michael.’ I replied in bemusement. I dipped into his mind. He was curious about my light. He’d hadn’t been in New Orleans when I’d zapped Bill. I didn’t much feel like explaining my powers to him. So I just looked at him blankly. Hoping he’d get the message that I wasn’t interested in conversation. He didn’t.

‘The Sheriff is truly blessed to have sired such exceptional progeny.’ He gave me a smouldering look, his eyes skipping with exaggerated care down over my breasts and hips before back up to my face. Jerk. ‘You will be staying with your maker for the time being I take it Sookie?’ he asked.

I didn’t really like him calling me by my first name. He was still holding my hand. I felt a blast of lust from him. He thought I was attractive. The feeling was not mutual. I tugged my hand but he kept a firm grip on it, as if he hadn’t even noticed my discomfort. ‘Perhaps your maker would permit you to seek your rest for the day at my side? My home is nearby.’ He leaned in real close to me, sniffing me. Ew. ‘You smell divine.’  Double Ew.

I couldn’t believe it, I’d just met the guy and he was already asking me back to his place?

‘Oh consider my permission granted Michael.’ I stared at Pam in disbelief as she continued. ‘Seeing Eric’s reaction to you trying to take his bonded consort, his _precious Sookie_ , from him would be well worth the punishment.’ She gave him a broad smile. ‘The last two that tried were Bill Compton and Russell Edgington and we all know how  _that_  ended.’

Michael dropped my hand like I was contagious. ‘Northman?’ He stared at me wide-eyed and took a step back. ‘You are the king’s?’

‘Yes I’m Eric’s.’ I replied, pleased that the vamp was backing off.

‘Forgive me, I did not know.’ he said and took another step back.

Pam raised an eyebrow. ‘How could you not? She smells so strongly of Eric, dare I say,  _divinely,’_  her voice was scathing, ‘she might as well have his name tattooed on her head.’

Michael frowned. ‘Ah, forgive me Miss Sookie.’ He bowed in my direction again. ‘Sheriff Beauford, I thought it your scent upon her since she is so recently turned. I would… ah… appreciate if you refrained from informing the King of my blunder.’

He was telling the truth. I was glad. I’d had enough vampire justice for the evening and I was certain there was some law saying ‘thou shalt not attempt to seduce the king’s girl on pain of getting your bits ripped off’ that Pam would be only too happy to enforce.

‘It’s fine Michael.’ I said. ‘Just keep your hands to yourself in future.’ I looked over at Pam. ‘I’d like to rest for the day now if that’s okay?’ I usually wouldn’t bother asking, but I didn’t want Pam to look weak in front of the other vampires.

‘You may.’ Pam replied evenly, pleased with my deference, even though it was more or less fake.

I showered in record time, chugged two truebloods with a grimace and threw myself into one of the spare coffins in the dungeon downstairs. It was hardly a nice place to spend the night, but I was exhausted.

I dreamt of Eric that night, a feverish dream like those I had when I first took his blood as a human, except when he took me he called me sweet things in that ancient language of his. I awoke with a smile on my face.

 

* * *

 

I made the drive south to New Orleans in record time. I turned up the stereo in Eric’s car, there was an ipod attached to it with an extremely eclectic mix of music on it. I guess Eric had been around so long he liked a bit of everything. A lot of it I didn’t recognise, but there was plenty of stuff I did like. I drove as fast as I wanted along the highway, laughing madly as I slipped in between cars and overtook others. I had the window down so I could feel the cool night air on my face and in my hair. I sang along to the stereo and generally enjoyed the fact that I was a vampire driving a corvette.

I had to stop for fuel more than once. Eric’s car wasn’t designed for practicality. It guzzled gas like nobody’s business. I nearly ran out again on the outskirts of New Orleans. I was eager to get home to Eric, and tempted to see if I’d make it on vapours, but reason won out. I felt eyes on me as I pulled up to a bowser at a decent looking Exxon. As per Eric’s detailed directions I filled up with the expensive premium mix. There were a few people around. One guy was filling his truck up and there was a woman smoking and eating a bag of crisps at a little picnic bench off to the side away from the pumps. They stared at me something fierce. I dipped into their thoughts curiously. They didn’t know I was a vampire.

My tan hadn’t totally faded yet, I’d only been out of the sun a month so I didn’t have that translucent vamp glow quite yet. I was still super pale of course, but from a distance it wasn’t that obvious I was dead. They were staring ‘cause of Eric’s car and me. I looked pretty and I knew it. I’d worn a favourite yellow sundress of mine that showed a lot of skin and I’d done my hair carefully using all Pam’s fancy lotions and curlers and stuff. It fell in soft waves that felt nice against the bare skin of my shoulders and back.

The guy at the truck was thinking how pretty and sexy I was. Amusingly he wanted the corvette almost as much as he wanted me. I ignored his lustful fantasies, they were pretty harmless. The woman smoking was jealous, plain and simple - I was young and pretty and driving an expensive sports car. I kinda liked being the object of such thoughts, of being admired and envied. It sure beat being ‘crazy sookie’.

I headed into the shop with a saunter to my walk. The cashier flirted with me, he thought I was gorgeous as well. I favoured him with a smile and he blushed bright red. Impulsively I bought a stick of my favourite gum. I wasn’t sure if vamps could chew gum, but I figured why not. I practically skipped back out to the corvette. I revved the engine a little more than necessary and peeled out of the station like a teenage boy in his daddy’s truck.

The traffic through town was pretty terrible. I didn’t mind though. I sat in the corvette singing along to the stereo and chewing gum. I was like some blonde ditz stereotype bought to life and I sure got a lot of honked horns and wolf whistles from bored guys stuck in the traffic around me. But I was enjoying myself and the closer I got to Eric, the more excited I got. I could feel our blood bond strengthening as I got closer to him. I was only a few blocks from him, stopped at a red light on St Charles Avenue when I felt a rush of playfulness and anticipation from him. Next thing I knew he was landing beside my door, a massive grin on his face.

‘Eric!’ I was scandalised that he’d just flown in front of lord knew how many people.

He looked unrepentant as he bent over and leant in the window. ‘Hello my lover. You look ravishing this evening.’ He leered at me, his eyes flicking down over my body. ‘Any chance I could hitch a ride?’

I rolled my eyes and he zipped around and let himself in the passenger side. I glanced at the light, still red. I couldn’t hold my smile in. ‘Eric couldn’t you wait five minutes?’

In answer he pulled me half across the centre console and kissed me silly. My mind went blank and I forgot where I was and what I was meant to be doing. Eric was a really good kisser. I was tempted to climb out of my seat and sit on his lap. Eventually I registered the honking of cars behind us. I pulled away from him breathlessly. He smirked at me, pleased with himself. I huffed and put the car into gear before speeding off. I shot Eric an irritated glare across the car. ’You are  _always_  getting me to make a spectacle of myself.’ Eric laughed. Then reached up and pulled something from his mouth.

_‘Gum_?’ he asked incredulously as if he just found a fly in his soup or something.

I shrugged. ‘I felt like bubblegum.’

He looked at me like I’d just said something completely insane. ‘Vampires don’t chew  _gum_  Sookie.’

‘Why not?’ I asked.

‘Because…’ Eric was looking at the piece of gum in a mix of fascination and disgust. I bit my lip to smother a laugh. ‘… it’s  _gum_.’ His explanation was hardly enlightening.

‘Oh  _of course._ That makes sense.’ I replied sarcastically. A thought occurred to me, ‘Have you ever blown bubbles Eric?’

‘No Sookie. I have not. I can’t say I’ve ever been curious either.’ He was still looking at the green (apple flavoured) lump in his hand like it was an extra-terrestrial artefact.

‘Hmm… Ever eaten poprocks?’

‘Of course not.’ he replied in disgust.

‘My poor little Viking. You missed out on so much good stuff. Can you eat?’ I was actually honestly curious about that.

‘Anything save blood will make a vampire ill.’ He flicked the gum out the window. ‘As Pam _should_  have informed you.’

‘So no poprocks?’

‘Unless they are as pleasing to you coming up as they are going down, I would not recommend it.’

I imagined fizzy vomit up my nose. Not a nice thought.

Eric had bought a little tag thing that triggered the gate of the house and then the big garage doors. He had thoughtfully moved the Mercedes so the nearest spot was free for me park in. I did so carefully, painfully aware of how attached to his car he was. I’d barely gotten out of it however before he had me pinned against it.

My body responded to his instantly, turning into a warm boneless mess against him. I shoved my hands in his hair and kissed him desperately. It had only been 3 nights, but it felt like weeks.  I wanted to kiss him and bite him and fuck him all at once. I wrapped myself around him and he hoisted me up so my thighs could wrap around his hips. I was suddenly super glad I’d worn a dress. Eric seemed to approve as well, pressing eagerly into me. I moaned into his mouth at the feel of him through my rapidly dampening panties.

I didn’t have a pulse but my body seemed to be throbbing with desire. Eric’s fangs popped with a click. I ran my tongue along them, aware now of exactly how good that felt, and let the tip scrape against me and draw a little blood. Eric groaned, his hand on my hip tightening, rocking me against him and his kiss grew more frantic. I crossed my ankles behind him and gripped his shoulder for leverage so I could grind my hips against him. He pulled out of our kiss and buried his face against my neck and shoulder, his cool breath tickling my skin.

His voice was soft and muffled. ‘Sookie. Missed you.’ He was kissing a line down my neck and I could feel his fangs.

‘Eric…’ I felt like waves of heat were lapping through my body, entering my skin wherever he touched me - his lips on my neck, his hand on my hip, the press of him through his jeans between my thighs… I moaned and my head tilted to the side to give him greater access. He scraped his fangs across my skin and I shivered. The heat was building up inside me until I was sure I’d burst into flame. I didn’t understand how he could affect me so strongly, so quickly, but I loved it.

He groaned against my skin. ‘ _Fuck_ you smell so good.’ He sucked at the pulse point in my neck but didn’t bite. The pressure of his mouth seemed to send all that heat directly down to throb between my thighs. I shifted my hips against him restlessly in want.

‘Eric…’ I whined. I wanted him. Needed him. Human modesty would have kept me from telling his as much a month earlier, but I wasn’t human anymore. ‘Need you. Want you. Now.’ I reached a hand down between us as I spoke, using my vamp speed and strength to make quick work of the fastenings on his jeans. Eric hissed as I wrapped a hand around him, his hips snapping forward into my grip. I could feel how much my words and actions pleased him. He exalted in my desire for him. He just _loved_ how much I wanted him.

His hand shifted from where it had been twisted in my hair, shoving my dress up and tearing my panties off. I wiggled against him, vaguely aware that I was moaning, and tried to impale myself upon him, but he was taking his time, grinding against me. I could feel him impossibly hard and perfect sliding against my body, spreading the evidence of my desire wet and slick between us. Every now and then he would press tantalisingly against my opening but he somehow managed to hold back, delighting in my ever increasing frantic lust.

In desperation I sought release another way. I tore at his t shirt, ripping it from the collar to the sleeve, and sunk my teeth into him. He roared in pleasure as I pulled at his shoulder, his addictive blood, his very essence, flooding my senses and almost overwhelming me. Suddenly I found myself deliciously full of extremely amorous Viking. Unable to focus on more than the feel of him inside me my head fell back, mouth bloody with the taste of him. Eric was apparently better at sexual multitasking however because he yanked my head to the side and sunk his fangs deeply into me even as he withdrew and fucked back into me roughly. I matched his movements, bracing myself against his shoulder and the car behind me.

The bond between us flared and enveloped us. I couldn’t keep my mental shields up and Eric’s thoughts, slipped across my consciousness - impassioned broken rambling in his native Norse interspaced with only two words I understood:  _‘Sookie’_  and  _‘fuck’_. In that sense our thoughts more or less mirrored each other. In fact I was chanting something in Eric’s ear which was a lot like ‘Ohgodfuckerickfuckfuckfuck…’ I came, my body tensing and twisting against him. My pleasure dragged Eric along and he stilled against me, his teeth still buried in my flesh. I felt him groan into my skin. After a moment he released me, licking the wound clean. I could feel his satisfaction through our bond. ‘So perfect my sookie.  _Minn sváss_.’

I felt a swell of love despite my dead heart at his words. He had a much more romantic way with words than me. ‘Oh god Eric fuck!’ and variations there upon were pretty paltry in comparison to Eric’s declarations of love in an ancient language. I felt a bit silly, like I was saying lines in a play or something, but I summoned my courage and spoke them anyway. ‘Eric.  _Min… ástir._ _’_

His reaction to my words was pretty powerful. He stared at me, blue eyes wide and blown for a moment, and then he was kissing me deeply and I could hear his thoughts going crazy in a mix of Norse and what I thought was Swedish and his love for me just flooded our bond. I felt it down to my toes. He mumbled against my lips, words interspersed with kisses. ‘Sookie… Sookie… _Ástir…_ minn Sookie…’

I decided to learn more Norse. I’d get Pam to teach me a few key phrases to start with. ‘Fuck me’ would probably provoke a pretty good reaction in him considering what ‘my love’ had achieved.

Sometime later I lay curled up in bed with Eric. We’d spent the evening making love with an abandon that would have been appropriate after a separation of months instead of days. I could feel his blood buzzing in my veins, his strength and love of me washing through our bond. He had his head in my lap and I was playing with his hair. I was reminded of the last time we’d been in the position. It had been when he had amnesia. I smiled at the thought.

‘You will stay?’ he asked without looking up at me.

I could sense a mix of apprehension and hope from Eric. I didn’t understand his meaning. ‘Stay where Eric?’

He sat up so our heads were level. His eyes were boring into mine as if he was trying to see inside my head, which was silly since he could see inside my heart through our bond. ‘You will stay here. With me?’

I blinked. We’d never really discussed it explicitly. I almost expected to feel doubts. I didn’t. I was absolutely certain of my place in the world. ‘Yeah. Of course Eric.’ I said, smiling. ‘I’ll stay with you.’

He pulled me into his lap. ‘You will be mine?’ he asked like he didn’t quite believe me. I was reminded of his strangely innocent request when he’d been cursed. Was I his? Would I like to be?

I paused and said what his covetous vampire’s heart really needed to hear. ‘I  _am_  yours...’ I replied. He stared at me silently for a moment and I felt his soaring joy and relief at my words. He pressed his face against mine. I ran my fingers across his cheek and buried them in his hair. Some new feeling, some vampire instinct prompted me to continue. ‘… and _you_ … are _mine_  Eric Northman.’

He pulled back slightly to look at me. His expression had changed at my words, his eyes were dark and there was a hint of a smirk around his mouth when he spoke. ‘Yes Sookie. I am yours.’

I felt deep satisfaction at his words, like all was right in the world. If I’d been a cat I would have purred.

How many times had he said I was his? How many times had he tried to get me to admit as much? I now understood why. I felt that same vampiric possessiveness of him. He was mine. No one else would touch his perfect skin or taste his ancient blood. His body, his love, they were  _mine._  I felt lustful excitement at the prospect. I kissed him roughly.

_Mine mine mine._

 

 

 

 


End file.
